Huawei is resisting for now well the sanctions that result from the trade war between the United States is China according to the latest IDC figures. The manufacturer remains just number 2 in the world, between Samsung and Apple. A result achieved despite a contraction in sales in the fourth quarter of 2019, and record figures for Apple.
A Huawei Matte 30 Pro / Credits: Phonandroid
Huawei does not publish quarterly figures, but some organizations, such as IDC, regularly make relatively accurate estimates of the group's economic health. According to IDC figures, Huawei remained very aggressive in 2019 and even managed to maintain its position as the second largest smartphone manufacturer in the world after Samsung and ahead of Apple over the year. The game was far from won.
Huawei continues its journey in the storm
The manufacturer is facing U.S. sanctions, including a ban on pre-installing the Play Store and Google apps on its smartphones. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the manufacturer delivered 56.2 million smartphones worldwide, establishing its market share in the quarter at 15.2% (down 7.1% from 2018). You could almost say "only" because it is for once especially Apple that boosted its sales in the quarter (73.8 million units, 7.9% year on year), becoming number 1 in the world with 20% market share.
The Apple firm was followed by Samsung and its 69.4 million smartphones sold giving it a market share of 18.8% (-1.2% year-on-year). However, these figures are more than offset over the year: according to IDC, Huawei still managed to sell 240 million smartphones over the whole of 2019. IDC explains: "Despite the challenges Huawei faces outside China and a significant drop in deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2019, the firm managed to overtake Apple in second place overall in 2019."
Read also: Huawei could quickly replace Google apps on its smartphones
With such figures we dare not imagine what it would have been like if the United States had not decided to attack Huawei so violently…
Source: Huawei Central
Major manufacturers' market shares in Q4 2019 / Credits: IDC