Dingqiao sold Huawei look-alikes in Huawei stores at Huawei prices

TD Tech (鼎桥通信) was originally a joint venture between Huawei and Nokia. After Huawei faced restrictions on selling 5G devices directly, TD Tech began releasing phones that closely mirrored Huawei's design language — most notably the Dingqiao M40, which was visually near-identical to Huawei's Mate40.

The phones were sold in Huawei authorised experience stores alongside genuine Huawei products. Store staff routinely failed to clarify that Dingqiao was a separate brand. Some described it as 'Huawei Smart Select' (华为智选); others used Huawei-branded packaging and gift bundles. Consumers walked out believing they had purchased Huawei devices.

The reality was starkly different. The Dingqiao M40 used a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ processor (against the Mate40's Kirin 9000E), a 60Hz screen, and ran Android rather than HarmonyOS. Official Huawei after-sales service did not cover Dingqiao devices. Yet the price — around ¥4,000 — was comparable to genuine Huawei phones.

Consumer complaints accumulated from 2022 onward. Television programmes including 1818 Golden Eye, First Help Group and Nanjing Zero Distance covered the deception. Market regulators intervened in multiple cities. By 2024, Nokia had exited the joint venture; Huawei retained roughly 23% via its Hubble investment arm.

Sold Dingqiao M40 in Huawei stores at Huawei prices with half the specs and no Huawei after-sales; consumers blamed Huawei, not TD Tech.

Dingqiao's phones were designed to be visually indistinguishable from Huawei — same chassis, colour palette and camera layout — making brand confusion the default.

Huawei's authorised stores sold Dingqiao alongside genuine products without mandatory brand disclosure. Staff had incentives to sell the higher-margin Dingqiao without clarifying.

The price point matched genuine Huawei phones, so consumers had no price signal that they were buying a lower-spec product from a different manufacturer.

Huawei held an indirect stake in TD Tech but exercised no direct control over Dingqiao's product specs or after-sales, creating a gap between brand perception and actual accountability.

When your retail channel profits from selling a look-alike under your brand's roof, consumers will blame you — not the manufacturer whose name they never heard.

Multiple Chinese TV programmes and market regulators exposed the deception. Nokia exited the joint venture in 2024. The case became a textbook example of how authorised retail channels can become vehicles for brand confusion when oversight and disclosure requirements are absent.