Data shows Samsung and Huawei are leading the market

Aug 1, 2018 08:06 GMT  ·  By

While Apple keeps praising the iPhone X for its strong sales, new data provided by market research firm IDC indicates that Cupertino is no longer the world’s second largest phone manufacturer.

With Samsung still leading the pack, Apple falls to third place following an impressive sales performance of Chinese maker Huawei, who managed to overtake its American rival and beat its sales by nearly 13 million units.

IDC says that phone makers sold a total of 342 million during the June quarter, down 1.8 percent year-over-year, and Samsung accounted for no less than 71.5 million units. This means the South Korean firm owns 20.9% of the mobile market, down from 22.9% a year ago.

On the other hand, Huawei reached sales of 54.2 million units, a major increase from 38.5 million units, which in turn secured a market share of 15.8 percent.

Apple fell to the third place with 41.3 million sold phones during the quarter, up from 41 million units, but with a market share of just 12.1 percent, it’s well behind its Chinese rival. Xiaomi comes fourth with 31.9 million units and 9.3 percent share.

Apple returning to second place later this year

IDC says there is a big chance Apple returns to the second position with the release of the new iPhone models in the fall.

“The continued growth of Huawei is impressive, to say the least, as is its ability to move into markets where, until recently, the brand was largely unknown,” said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. “It is worth noting that Apple moved into the top position each of the last two holiday quarters following its product refresh, so it's likely we'll see continued movement among the top ranked companies in 2018 and beyond.”

Apple is projected to unveil three iPhones in September, including an iPhone X successor, a 6.1-inch more affordable model with an LCD screen and a single rear camera, and an iPhone X Plus with a 6.5-inch OLED panel.

Phone sales in the June quarter

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Huawei is now the second largest phone maker worldwide
Phone sales in the June quarter
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