Huawei replaces Apple as No 2 smartphone seller

Huawei, China's number one mobile manufacturer, on Wednesday replaced iPhone-maker Apple in Q2 of 2018 as the second largest smartphone vendor in the world. 

According to research firms  International Data Corporation (IDC), Huawei leapfrogged Apple to second place, based on the number of devices both firms shipped in the quarter that ended on June 30.

IDC data, which Deccan Herald accessed, states that Huawei shipped about 54.2 million handsets for the quarter, registering a 40.9% year-on-year growth. Meanwhile, Apple shipped about 41.3 million units for 0.7% growth against the comparable year-ago period.

The iPhone-maker missed Wall Street's estimate of 41.79 million devices for the quarter. Those numbers put Huawei with 15.8% share of the market and Apple with 12.1%, according to IDC.

Samsung remains at No 1, where it sold 71.5 million units and took 20.9% of the global market share, despite a 10.4% decrease in units shipped last year.

The IDC report states that Apple had not been the number-one or number-two smartphone company in terms of market share since the second quarter of 2010.

In a statement, IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers Vice President Ryan Reith said that the continued growth of Huawei is impressive. "To say the least, its ability to move into markets where, until recently, the brand was largely unknown," said Reith.

Besides growth in new markets, the IDC attributes the success of Huawei primarily because of Honor brand. Meanwhile, Huawei’s P20 and P20 Pro found strong demand in the $600-$800 price segment.

Huawei, known for its telecommunication network equipment, is now vying hard to enter the US market. It had a a partnership with AT&T which was called off later.

The company is regulatory heat across the US as the lawmakers urged AT&T to pull out of the deal.

Xiaomi and Oppo took the No 4 and No 5 spots, respectively. Xiaomi surpassed Samsung for the No 1 position in India this quarter while Oppo faced slowing down in India and Southeast Asia.

Even so, Oppo grew 5.1% from last year’s Q2 as it expanded into new markets in the Middle East and Africa.