Huawei has reportedly surpassed Samsung as the world’s largest smartphone maker for the first time ever in the month of April. With Huawei’s Google licensing ban still into effect, many believed the feat to be impossible.
But according to Counterpoint Research (First spotted by Gizmochina), the Chinese smartphone maker managed to surpass Samsung despite a decline in global smartphone shipments. In a mail to Gizmochina, Neil Shah, the VP of Research at Counterpoint confirmed that Samsung had managed a market share of 17 percent in the month of April, 2 percent short of Huawei’s 19 percent global market share for the same period.
Huawei had managed a strong year in 2019, retaining its second position in global market share despite its decline outside China. The company’s success was attributed to the strong sentiment among the Chinese consumers, who had given preference to Huawei products after the US ban. And that trend seems to have continued in 2020.
Also Read: Huawei's camera or Google's Android ecosystem, what should you opt for?
Huawei’s strong sales numbers have in-part been aided by the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown enforced in India barred the sale and delivery of non-essential goods, leading to zero smartphone sales in the month of April for brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, etc. Sales of Samsung smartphones and other brands have also declined in other markets like the US, Latin America, and parts of Europe as purchasing a smartphones is not a priority for people in these regions.
It is worth noting that Huawei’s sales numbers are declining outside China due to lack of Google’s Mobile Services make them a pretty unattractive proposition for global audiences. Samsung’s shipments are expected to bounce back in the coming months, which means Huawei’s success is not guaranteed in the long run and may not continue in the next quarter.
Despite US ban, Huawei shipped as many as 230 million smartphones in 2019
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