Huawei Displaces Samsung As World’s Number One Smartphone Seller

For the first time ever, Huawei has displaced Samsung as the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.

This came after Huawei shipped more smartphones than any other phone brand in the second quarter of 2020, including Samsung which had always retained that position.

Huawei had continued to increase its market share in smartphone sales after overtaking Apple to become the world’s second biggest phone seller in the first quarter of 2019.

According to a new report from analytics firm, Canalys, Huawei’s new status made it the first time since 2011 that Apple and Samsung would both be losing the top spot to another smartphone manufacturer.

The industry tracker said despite facing U.S. sanctions, Huawei shipped 55.8 million smartphones against Samsung which sold 53.7 million units of devices in the second quarter of 2020.

Canalys, however, noted that over 70% of Huawei’s sales now come from China where it is headquartered.

CNN reports that the manufacturer’s annual overseas shipments fell by 5%.

But Canalys analyst, Mo Jia, said, “Taking first place is very important for Huawei,” adding that, “It is desperate to showcase its brand strength to domestic consumers, component suppliers and developers.”

Jia warned, however, that the manufacturer’s strength in China alone “will not be enough to sustain Huawei at the top once the global economy starts to recover”.

The firm tied Huawei’s success over Samsung to COVID-19 which helped it to record more sales locally.