Chinese smartphone market is extremely competitive. There are a ton of smartphone OEMs over there trying to grab a piece of the market share. Xiaomi and Huawei are currently the two market leaders in China, and are constantly fighting each other for that number 1 spot. According to the latest report by Canalys, Huawei has managed to overthrow Xiaomi in the third quarter of this year, and is currently the no.1 placed smartphone manufacturer in China. Well, it seems like an analyst from IHS Technology doesn’t really agree with that, read on.
According to IHS technology’s Research Director, Xiaomi is still the number 1 smartphone manufacturer in China as far as market share goes. According to the table he shared with the public, Xiaomi held 16.4% of the market in China in the third quarter of this year, while Huawei was close second with 16.2% stake. So, it seems like we’re getting conflicting information here, and it’s up to you who are you going to believe on this one. One thing is for sure though, both Huawei and Xiaomi are currently untouchable in China.
Looking at the rest of this list, you’ll notice that Apple holds 3rd place with 12.1% market share, while Oppo and Vivo closed out the top 5 OEMs with 10.2% and 10.0% market share, respectively. Considering this is a top 10 list, let’s check out the lower portion of the list as well. Samsung is currently holding the no.6 spot on this list with 8.8%, while the fast-growing Meizu is currently holding 6.7% and is placed below Samsung. Coolpad, Lenovo and ZTE have also made the list, and are currently holding 4.8%, 4.4% and 2.7% of the market, respectively. These 10 smartphone manufacturers actually claim 92.4% of the market, and the remaining 7.6% is covered by everyone else.
It will be interesting to see who will be the number one smartphone OEM in China at the end of this year. Huawei and Xiaomi are very close one to another and it’s basically anyone’s game at the moment. Both companies are expected to release major devices before this year closes, Xiaomi is expected to roll out their Mi 5 flagship, while Huawei will probably announce their premium Mate 8 phablet. Stay tuned, we’ll report back soon.
