Huawei shipped more smartphones than Samsung in the second quarter due to high demand in China and depressed smartphone demand around the globe due to COVID-19, says research firm Canalys.<\/b>
\n(Photo by Kevin Frayer\/Getty Images)
No access to the US market, no problem. During the second quarter, Huawei for the first time became the world\u2019s largest smartphone vendor, according to research firm Canalys.
From April to June, Huawei shipped 55.8 million units, just a little more than second-place Samsung, which shipped 53.7 million units.
However, the Chinese company\u2019s rise to No. 1 wasn\u2019t necessarily due to a snazzy new product or feature. Canalys points to COVID-19, and how the pandemic depressed smartphone demand across the globe. In Huawei\u2019s case, the company\u2019s smartphone shipments were actually down year over year by 5 percent. But the situation was worse for Samsung, despite releasing the Galaxy S20. Its shipments fell 30 percent year over year, opening the door for Huawei to grab the top spot.
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\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for COVID-19, it wouldn\u2019t have happened,\u201d Canalys Senior Analyst Ben Stanton said in a statement. \u201cHuawei has taken full advantage of the Chinese economic recovery to reignite its smartphone business. Samsung has a very small presence in China, with less than 1 percent market share, and has seen its core markets, such as Brazil, India, the United States and Europe, ravaged by outbreaks and subsequent lockdowns.\u201d(Credit: Canalys)
The accomplishment is also noteworthy because the US government has been trying to block the biggest technology companies from supplying Huawei on claims it represents a national security threat. For instance, while Huawei phones can still use the open-source version of Android, they can no longer carry the official Google Play Store and other Google apps such as YouTube and Gmail.
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Many US retailers and carriers have also abandoned Huawei devices in stores. As a result, the Chinese company has a nearly non-existent market share in the US. The good news for Huawei has been China. The country is the world\u2019s largest market for smartphones, and many consumers there have been flocking to Huawei products, partially out of patriotism and perhaps anti-US sentiment.
Research firm Strategy Analytics told PCMag its data also showed that Huawei became the No. 1 vendor in Q2. Still, analysts don\u2019t expect Huawei to maintain that status for long. \u201cThis ranking is short-lived,\u201d said Strategy Analytics Director Linda Sui. \u201cSamsung has returned to the top spot since June 2020, the trend will maintain in the following months.\u201d
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