Huawei Becomes No. 1 Smartphone Producer in Q2
It was Huawei, not Samsung Electronics, that was the champion of the global smartphone market in the second quarter of 2020. It was the first time in nine years that a company other than Samsung Electronics and Apple has topped the global smartphone market in quarterly records.
Citing data from market research firm Canalys, U.S. economic broadcasters CNBC and Bloomberg reported on July 29 (local time) that Huawei's smartphone shipments in the April-June period amounted to 55.8 million units. The figure represented a 5 percent drom from a year ago but topped Samsung Electronics’ 53.7 million units, making the Chinese company the world's No. 1 player in the smartphone industry.
Huawei’s ascendance to the top spot is ascribed to Chinese consumers’ patriotic consumption. In the second quarter, Huawei sold more than 70 percent of its smartphones in mainland China, according to the survey.
However, it will be difficult for Huawei to maintain its position as a number-one smartphone maker, industry experts say. This is because Huawei’s market share outside mainland China is gradually falling. Another stumbling block is the fact that the latest Huawei smartphones such as the P40 series cannot utilize Google's application ecosystem such as Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube. Huawei's market share in the European smartphone market was 16 percent, down sharply from 22 percent in the same period of 2019, said research firm Counterpoint Research.
Huawei models will have to square off with new premium models to be launched by Samsung Electronics in the second half of 2020, such as the Galaxy Note 20, the Galaxy Fold 2, and the Galaxy Z-Flip 5G. These new models could threaten Huawei even in mainland China, the home turf of Huawei. The first-generation models of the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z-Flip already proved their immense popularity by setting consecutive sales records in China. Samsung Electronics is planning to introduce five new products including the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Fold 2, at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event on Aug. 5. It took the wraps off the Galaxy Z-Flip 5G on July 22.