The first quarter of 2019 has seen Huawei’s share in the global smartphone market get to its peak level ever of 17% according to the latest research by Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service.

The research does show a statistic that had been feared to be true which is that Huawei has surpassed Apple to be the second biggest smartphone brand just after the leader Samsung. The current growth then confirms Huawei’s shipping volumes increase by almost 50% year-on-year.

This growth may come as a surprise considering the ban placed on Huawei’s products in the USA which is one of the most significant markets. It does confirm that the rest of the world’s preferences are quite different from what the States prefer.

Start off your week with tech news recap and trending conversations in your inbox

Enter valid email-id

Subscribe

I prefer it on Telegram

Commenting on the significant growth, research analyst, Shobhit Srivastava did note that Huawei’s volumes are expected to be higher than Apple’s at least until the end of 2019. He also did warn that with the brand’s current growth rate, it is Samsung that should be more worried than Apple. After all, it is tough at the top.

The reporter moreover did see the BBK Group that owns OPPO, Realme, Vivo and OnePlus brands collectively be the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer. This is with all its brands registering growth crowned by OPPO and Vivo on the big ten list.

TECNO joins the big boys club

Amid the frenzy, TECNO has also made it to the list of the big fish alongside brands like Alcatel and Lenovo. This has then proved the vigilance of Chinese brands defying gravity and growing beyond their home markets.

This has been with the current direction Chinese OEMs are taking in launching most of their flagship models in Europe and following a dual-brand strategy in order to cover as many price bands as possible.  The logistics are however drawn back a bit by Xiaomi that saw a decline amid the heavy competition but a growth outside its home market.

This competition will continue to stir Android OEMs to keep the fight as they hope to convert to 5G, bezel-less and flexible displays as well as AI synchronisation. Let the games continue!