Chinese smartphone vendor Huawei began sales of high-end smartphones under its own brand in Thailand on July 30, as reported by the online news media TechinAsia. After partnering with Thai telecom operators as a white-label maker for more than a decade, the company plans to spend more than US$2.5 million in raising brand awareness in local market, with the first-ever flagship store in Bangkok slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2013. As of the end of July 2013, Huawei has sold 2 million smartphones in Southeast Asia – a tenfold growth compared to its full-year sales in 2012, according to the report. Besides high-end sector, Huawei also aims at the low-cost segment where smartphones will be sold under US$100 in Thailand.