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Huawei Ascend Mate 2 4G finds a US distributor other than itself

The $300 supersize phone lands its first US distributor: Fry's Electronics.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
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Watch this: Giant Mate 2 wants to be your wallet's friend

This summer, Chinese phone-maker Huawei ran an experiment, to see if it could sell its well-priced, midrange Huawei Ascend Mate 2 4G smartphone without the help of a US distribution partner. Instead, Huawei sold the phone on its own site, GetHuawei.com, for the competitive off-contract price of $300.

On Friday, the company announced its first distributor for the phone. Retailer Fry's Electronics has pledged to carry both white and black colors of the 6.1-inch "phablet."

There are only 34 brick-and-mortar locations of this niche store, so Huawei's sales prospects are still limited. Pitting its quite decent quad-core handset against other large-screen phones in a carrier environment would still be the company's best bet.

For the phone's pros and cons, check out my full Huawei Ascend Mate 2 4G review.

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