Market research firm Strategy Analytics has just published a report on global mobile phone shipments in Q2, 2015, which claims that Chinese network equipment and consumer technology manufacturer Huawei has overtaken Redmond, WA-based tech giant Microsoft Corp. in terms of global mobile phone shipments to become the third largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world. The Shenzhen, Guangdong-based company reportedly has cornered 7 percent of the global mobile phone market in the quarter, with global shipments of 30.6 million handsets, which represent a steep 49 percent increase over Q2, 2014. The global smartphone market however, showed some signs of cooling down, with worldwide shipments growing a nominal 2 percent, while registering 434.6 million shipped handsets, as opposed to 428.6 million in the corresponding period last year.
According to the report, South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer Samsung sits on top of the pile with cumulative shipments of over 89 million units for its myriad mobile phone models, even though the number represents a drop of 7 percent YoY. The company has lost a significant chunk of its market share in recent times amidst increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers and reports of sluggish sales of its Galaxy S6 smartphones worldwide. Apple continues to sit pretty at the number two spot with 47.5 million shipped devices, which is a significant jump of 35 percent over its last year’s figures, on the back of increased demand for its large-screened iPhone offerings.
Microsoft meanwhile has seen its combined smartphone and feature phone shipments decline almost 50 percent to 27.8 million in the quarter, from 50.3 million in the same period last year. Xiaomi is yet another Chinese company, which has seen significant growth with shipments of 19.8 million smartphones, which is a 30 percent increase over its numbers last year. However, the report also mentioned that the company’s growth is slowing both in its local as well as its international markets, as a result of which, the company may struggle to hold onto its position in the global top five in the coming quarters. The company of course, plans to refresh its aging smartphone lineup later in the year, when its next generation flagship is expected to be among the first smartphones to be launched with the much-anticipated Snapdragon 820 SoC from American chipmaker Qualcomm.
As for the year’s biggest winner of the battle for smartphone supremacy, Huawei is said to have shipped 48.2 million handsets overall in the first half of the year thus far, which represents a 39 percent YoY growth, earning it revenues of $7.23 billion, which is a staggering 87 percent jump over the company’s income from its mobile division in the corresponding period last year. Observers believe that the stellar show in the first half of the year has put the company on track to sell a hundred million devices by the end of the year, if its plans are not derailed for one reason or another.
