14 DAY TRIAL // Huawei has managed to overtake Apple and become the world’s second-largest phone manufacturer, and for the company’s executives, only sky is the limit now.
Consumer division chief Richard Yu on Friday says Huawei aims to beat Samsung as well by the end of the year, which would technically make it the world’s leading smartphone company. All without investing aggressively in the United States, a market still dominated by Apple and Samsung and which has until now shown some reticence towards Chinese firms.
Huawei sold a total of 54.2 million phones in the June quarter, up no less than 38.5 million units the year before. This means the company now controls 15.8 percent of the phone market, becoming the runner-up of Samsung, which still has a 20.9 percent market share.
For comparison, Apple sold 41.3 million phones during the same quarter, securing a share of 12.1 percent. Xiaomi is fourth with 9.3 percent share.
New iPhones coming in September
Huawei wants to sell more than 200 million phones this year, a figure that it hopes would help overtake Samsung and become the leading smartphone maker in the world.
But on the other hand, rival Apple is giving the finishing touches to a revamped iPhone lineup, which is expected to generate increasing sales in the remainder of the year and help the American firm gain back part of the market share it lost. Apple will unveil three iPhones, including a more affordable version specifically aimed at markets where its premium models aren’t selling well.
Apple’s new-generation iPhones could eat up Huawei’s share and, at the same time, steal part of its customers, making it harder for the Chinese firm to reach its 200 million unit goal.
Huawei, however, will continue to bet big on customers in China and Europe, according to a report from Bloomberg, as it still doesn’t plan an aggressive expansion in the United States.