Huawei has regained its position as the leading smartphone maker in China for the first time in over four years, surpassing US rival Apple and domestic brands including Xiaomi, according to data from the US-based International Data Corporation (IDC).
The Shenzhen-based technology giant captured an 18.1 per cent share of China’s smartphone market in the second quarter of this year, with shipments reaching 12.5 million units, IDC reported on Tuesday.
Huawei’s resurgence comes despite years of pressure from US export controls, Western bans, and a graft investigation in Belgium. The company has been at the centre of geopolitical tensions between the world’s two largest economies after Washington alleged its equipment could be used for espionage by Beijing, a charge the company has repeatedly denied.
China’s broader smartphone market contracted after six consecutive quarters of growth. IDC data showed total shipments fell four per cent year on year to 69 million units in the second quarter.
“Despite the recent US-China trade truce, the broader economic environment presents ongoing challenges, with consumer confidence remaining subdued,” said Arthur Guo, senior research analyst at IDC. “This suggests that a significant uplift in smartphone demand is unlikely in the immediate term, and the market will navigate a more complex landscape in the second half of the year.”
Apple, meanwhile, experienced a slowdown in iPhone sales in China and last year lost its title as the country’s best-selling smartphone brand to two local competitors. The California-based firm ranked fifth in the IDC report, with a 13.9 per cent market share and 9.6 million units shipped.
China’s economy expanded by more than five per cent in the second quarter, according to official data, even as the fallout from tariff disputes with the United States weighed on consumer sentiment.
-AFP
