CEO of Consumer Business Group of Chinese tech company Huawei, Richard Yu, addresses theaudience to launch the Huawei P9 smartphone during a press conference at Battersea Evolution inLondon on April 6, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is preparing to challenge Apple Inc in a premium-end smartphonemarket as the Chinese telecom equipment maker unveiled a new flagship handset in the UnitedKingdom and a top executive spoke of plans to enter the United States.

The Shenzhen, Guangdong-based company debuted its latest device, the P9, a pamphlet with adual-lens camera, in London on Wednesday. Huawei, the third-largest handset maker in theworld, is betting on the new device to further expand its presence outside of China.

Huawei has been introducing its flagship devices in Europe since 2014, a strong indication theChinese company is shifting its focus from China to developed markets.

After steadily growing market share in countries including the UK and Spain, the company mayfinally step into the US, a highly profitable yet extremely competitive market for global vendors.

A Leica Camera AG logo sits on a P9 smartphone, manufactured by Huawei Technologies Co, at itslaunch event in London, April 6, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Richard Yu, head of Huawei's consumer electronics unit, told The Wall Street Journal thecompany plans to launch a flagship device in the US later this year.

"We want to become the No 1 as a premium brand," Yu was quoted as saying by the newspaperon Wednesday.

Huawei, which started off as a budget phone manufacturer more than a decade ago, is nowfocusing on developing devices priced above 3,000 yuan ($460), a widely accepted threshold forhigh-end market. The most expensive Huawei device－the Mate S－is selling at 4,899 yuan,close to the price of an iPhone 6S.

Calling Huawei's smartphone ambition "aggressive", Nicole Peng, research director atShanghai-based consultancy Canalys, said the top priority for Huawei this year will be increasingits presence in overseas markets while fighting Xiaomi Corp on its home ground.

Huawei was one of the fastest-growing smartphone vendors by the end of 2015 with a whopping37 percent year-on-year jump, according to the research firm International Data Corp. Shipmentsof Samsung Electronics Co Ltd saw a drop in the same period while the iPhone shipments wentflat.

Huawei's consumer electronics unit, which sells smartphones, wearables and accessories,generated a revenue of 129 billion yuan in 2015, a surge of 73 percent year-on-year, thecompany said earlier this month. It shipped about 108 million smartphones last year and 75million in 2014, according to Huawei.

This spring presents an opportunity for Huawei to close gaps with Apple after the US giant'slatest rollout failed to catch buyers' attention.

Attendees look at a P9 plus smartphone, manufactured by Huawei Technologies Co, at its launch eventin London, April 6, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

The iPhone SE had the lowest adoption in its first weekend of availability since 2012, accordingto Localytics, a mobile app analytics company. The iPhone SE took 0.1 percent of the overalliPhone market by the first weekend since its availability, it said. In comparison, the iPhone 6Sgrabbed 1 percent in market share by the first weekend of release and iPhone 6 took 2 percent.

But Huawei may still find it difficult to face off Apple this year.

Anthony Scarsella, an IDC analyst, said to combat Apple at the high-end, Huawei will need tobring more value to consumers.

"Many vendors have placed a renewed focus on pushing premium-looking mid-tier devices as anew value proposition to consumers in both developed and emerging markets," said Scarsella.