14 DAY TRIAL // Apple was the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to data provided by Canalys, as it managed to overtake Samsung for the first time in many months.
The Cupertino-based tech giant sold an estimated of 71.7 million iPhone during the quarter, securing a 19.8% market share worldwide, down from 20% in the same quarter a year before.
Samsung, on the other hand, dropped from 74.2 million units in the previous year to 70.3 million units in Q4 2018, which secured a market share of 19.4%. At the same time, Huawei recorded a massive growth during the quarter, jumping from a 10.6% share in 2017 to 16.7% and 60.5 million units sold in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Samsung tops 2018 smartphone sales
When it comes to overall sales in 2018, Samsung continues to be number one, but still on a decline. The South Korean company fell to 21.2% market share, followed by Apple and Huawei with 15.3% and 14.8%, respectively. However, Samsung and Apple are going down at a fast pace, as their declined reached 7.2% and 1.7%, respectively, versus the previous year.
Huawei is the company that took everyone by surprise in 2018, with its smartphone sales jumping no less than 34.5% from 153.2 million units to 206 million units.
Canalys projects a difficult year ahead for Huawei, especially given all the cyberespionage claims coming from the United States and its allies.
“Moving into 2019, it not faces a critical challenge, as political tensions, security concerns and disputes over intellectual property theft threaten to disrupt its remarkable momentum. Any major impact on Huawei’s enterprise and carrier business will ripple through the organization and affect the smartphone business,” the research notes.
Huawei recently estimates it would become the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer this year or in 2020 the latest.
