It’s official – China’s smartphone brand, Huawei overtook Apple as the world’s second largest smartphone vendor after Korea’s Samsung for the second quarter of 2018.
According to market research firms IDC, Canalys and Strategy Analytics, Huawei has overtaken Apple to become the world’s second largest smartphone vendor for the first time in seven years. The reports were released based on the number of devices shipped in the second quarter of 2018 and include figures for both Huawei and their cheaper sub-brand Honor smartphones.
To be fair, Apple typically don’t do so well in the second quarter as the launch for their smartphones don’t fall in this period. Nonetheless, it is a significant accomplishment Huawei and signifies the coming of age of China smartphone brands becoming a force to be reckon with on the world stage in terms of innovation and technology and not just cheap knock-offs.
According to IDC, Huawei delivered shipments of 54.2 million units for the quarter, with a record-high market share of 15.8% and Apple with 12.1%. Research firm Canalys also reported that the strong performance was driven by the successful sale of the brand’s latest flagship, the P20 series.
Cheng Jiangfei, Managing Director of Huawei Singapore Consumer Business Group, said: “We have come a long way as a consumer brand and we are deeply humbled to be recognised as the world’s second largest smartphone vendor that reinforces our foundations as a premium global brand. At Huawei, we are committed to offer premium and reliable technologies that resonate with our customers. Our latest technological advancements are supported with a continuous investment in research & development. Last but not least, we would not have been able to achieve this milestone without the support from our dedicated customers and partners that we are extremely grateful for.”
In Singapore, Huawei is on track towards strong business growth with its current offerings that include the P series that focuses on cutting-edge photography and style, and the Mate series which introduces the latest software and hardware capabilities in the industry. The overwhelming response for its recent HUAWEI nova 3i launch last Saturday at Waterway Point also reflects an increasing public interest in the mid-range segment.
“Singapore is an important market for Huawei and we will be centring our efforts on meeting customer needs and creating value with meaningful technologies,” added Cheng.
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