The Chinese smartphone market is the largest on Earth which instantly makes it of interest. Traditionally dominated by local brands and in recent years, Xiaomi, latest research shows that Huawei has finally unseated the incumbent leader and taken the number one spot there for the first time.
Both Huawei and Xiaomi are frequent names on the global top 10 list in no small part due to domestic success. Leave Asia and Xiaomi becomes almost non-existent and Huawei is still pushing to make waves. It’s pretty remarkable to consider that Huawei, until now, hasn’t ever been China’s top smartphone vendor.
The research comes from Canalys and it reports as of the quarter ending on September 30 that Huawei’s Chinese shipments were up a remarkable 81% on 12 months previously. Coupled with an unusual decline in shipments for Xiaomi and we’re left with a new number one and number two.
Xiaomi has made a name for itself by selling low-priced phones that don’t cut corners on the hardware. It’s what draws many to their devices in China and other markets like India. Huawei, by contrast, has its lower-cost offerings under the Honor brand while the Huawei logo still resides on it’s most premium offerings like the new Mate S.
While this news is of little relevance to western markets, China, by sheer size, is a market to keep watch over. It’s also one that’s becoming ever more important for non-Chinese firms, with Apple a recent big name entrant in the past couple of years.
via Wall Street Journal