This year has proved to be a breakthrough one for telecommunications giant Huawei, despite continued questions over the company’s links to the Chinese state.

In August, the firm overtook Apple as the world’s second largest smartphone maker in terms of market share.

However, the company’s telecoms equipment has been banned or had its presence reduced in a number of county’s 5G network infrastructure amid concerns over a Chinese firm being involved in communications infrastructure.

Huawei was founded by a former officer in the People’s Liberation Army and questions have previously been raised about possible improper links to the Chinese state, something Huawei has always denied.

The head of MI6, Alex Younger, recently said the UK would have to make “some decisions” about such firms after other governments had taken steps to block Huawei.

Governments in the US, New Zealand and Australia have already taken action against Huawei, blocking it from being part of their telecoms infrastructure, while a company executive was recently detained in Canada as part of an ongoing trade dispute with the US.

However, the firm’s relationship with consumers has been significantly strengthened in the past 12 months thanks to two hugely successful smartphone launches boosting sales.

Critical acclaim

The P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro both won critical acclaim after their respective launches in March and October.

Both devices come with triple rear cameras and high levels of artificial intelligence built into the cameras to help with photography.

The Mate20 Pro also includes a large battery that has the ability to wirelessly charge other compatible smartphones.

The challenge for the company now will be to maintain its momentum into 2019.

The firm is reportedly working on a smartphone with a foldable display, such a device has already been showcased by rivals Samsung, with the technology expected to be a key area of interest in the coming 12 months.