Almost three years ago, Richard Yu of Huawei said his goal was to surpass Apple , and many of us laughed at how audacious his intentions seemed. Today, the Asian company has overtaken the Californian firm, appearing well ahead in the first top 5 manufacturers of the year. That's how things stand in the world of mobile phones.
Huawei, second mobile manufacturer in the world
As you know, every so often certain consulting firms provide us with an overview of the mobile phone market. One of the most well-known agencies is Canalys, which became the first in 2019 to give us a top 5 list of market share holders in the smartphone sector. And what a top five it is!
Although overall smartphone distribution globally fell by 6,8% in the first quarter of 2019, with the lowest number of phones in the last 5 years, 313,9 million terminals were distributed in stores.
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Of that amount, 18,8% belongs to Huawei , which has risen considerably compared to the same period in 2018 (when it had a market share of 11,7%). This has allowed it to reach the second position in the top 5 companies with the largest market share in the world. The loser ? Apple itself —who would have thought it a while ago, eh?—which has fallen from 15,5% last year to 12,8%.
Two other companies that were in fourth and fifth place retained their positions with a slight increase. These are again two Chinese brands: the prolific Xiaomi and Oppo , which seems to be steadily gaining ground. Xiaomi's market share in the mobile sector rose from 8,4% to 8,9%, while Oppo saw an even greater increase, jumping from 7,6% to 8,7%.
And who's in first place ? Well, the ever-present, at least for now, Samsung , which continues to reign supreme. It's true that it has suffered a slight dip—from 23,6% to 22,8%—but it still maintains a significant lead at the top of the mountain.
Huawei itself has already stated that after beating Apple, its goal is to do the same with Samsung , whom it hopes to surpass next year. It won't be easy. The Korean company's recent financial results have spurred it into action, resulting in a truly aggressive 2019 portfolio, in which the budget-friendly A series and its low-cost M-series phones should give it another considerable boost.
The Chinese company therefore faces a difficult task, with Xiaomi and Oppo, as the Canalys report indicates , also eager to catch up, replicating its successful business and mobile phone marketing strategy. The same study suggests that Huawei would need, at the very least, 10 million more units shipped in a single quarter.
But, oh yeah, after seeing how Richard kept his promise with Apple... we don't see it as farfetched at all.