According to a recent Nikkei Asian Reviewreport, Huawei surpassed Apple to become the second-largest smartphone vendor for the first time in 2019. The beleaguered Chinese giant captured 17.6 percent of the global smartphone market last year, toppling the Cupertino based iPhone maker from the second spot. It also narrowed the gap on Samsung at the top.
The report also highlights the rapid rise of Huawei as a top player in the smartphone industry. Five years ago, the company only had a five percent share in the global smartphone market. Samsung and Apple, on the other hand, captured a combined total of 39 percent of the market.
Five years on, while the latter two have hardly seen any increase in their market share, Huawei has emerged as a worthy competitor to them. Chinese manufacturers, in general, have been the fastest-growing smartphone vendors in the past few years. In 2019, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo had a combined 35 percent share in the global smartphone market.
Despite the tightening US sanctions, Huawei continues to post impressive numbers. In the second quarter of this year, the company had a smartphone market share of around 20 percent, several market research firms have reported recently. Some reports claim it was the largest smartphone maker during the quarter.
Huawei’s recent surge is largely driven by a sense of patriotism in China following the US-imposed ban last year. The company has now overthrown Samsung from the top spot as the South Korean giant continues to feel the effects of the global economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses in China, meanwhile, have resumed operations.
Huawei surpassed Apple, Chinese companies, in general, are expanding
The Nikkei Asian Review report suggests that Chinese tech companies are expanding their global presence rapidly. A survey conducted by the publication showed that Chinese companies posted the largest market share in 12 sectors globally.
The survey covered 74 high-tech products and services globally last year. The United States tops the chart with the largest market share in 25 sectors. China has overtaken Japan to come second in the list. BOE Technology Group of China overtook Japan Display in LCD panels, while Shanghai Energy New Materials Technology bested Asahi Kasei in insulator components, according to the report.
Lenovo also saw an increase in its market share in the personal computers (PC) industry. With a 24.2 percent share, the Chinese company now shares the top spot with HP of the US.
Huawei, in addition to its undeterred growth in the smartphone industry, also extended its dominance in the market for base stations for mobile phones. The company now holds one-third of the market. It is trying to expand its presence in the 5G equipment market as well. However, the company has been struggling to do so after the crackdown by the Trump Administration.
Those trade restrictions have also reflected in Huawei’s performance in some areas. In the routers market, for example, Cisco Systems has managed to widen its lead over Huawei by about five percent. The American company currently holds a whopping 64.7 percent share of the market.
With the American government tightening its trade restrictions, the outlook for China remains dim, the report sums up.