Huawei supplants Samsung as the world's largest smartphone maker

Huawei shipped 2.1 million more smartphones than Samsung during the quarter.

What you need to know

• Data from Canalys has revealed that Huawei surpassed Samsung as the world's largest smartphone vendor in Q2 2020
• Huawei shipped 55.8 million smartphones during the quarter, while Samsung shipped 53.7 million.
• Even though Huawei's overseas shipments declined 27% in the April-June period, its shipments in China grew 8%.

Huawei shipped more smartphones than Samsung for the first time in the second quarter of 2020. According to data from Canalys, the Chinese company shipped 55.8 million phones during the April-June period, while Samsung shipped 53.7 million.

Canalys Senior Analyst, Ben Stanton said in a statement:

This is a remarkable result that few people would have predicted a year ago. If it wasn't for COVID-19, it wouldn't have happened. Huawei has taken full advantage of the Chinese economic recovery to reignite its smartphone business. Samsung has a very small presence in China, with less than 1% market share, and has seen its core markets, such as Brazil, India, the United States and Europe, ravaged by outbreaks and subsequent lockdowns.

While nearly all major smartphone makers saw their shipments fall significantly during the second quarter of the year, Huawei's shipments were down just 5%. This was due to the fact that the Chinese smartphone market recovered strongly in Q2, and Huawei now sells more than 70% of its phones in mainland China. In overseas markets, however, Huawei's shipments fell 27% in the last quarter. Samsung, on the other hand, saw its shipments slide 30% due to COVID-19 lockdowns in nearly all its core markets. In China, the company's market share is less than 1%.

However, it looks unlikely that Huawei will manage to maintain its lead in the long term. Thanks to the U.S. ban, the company's shipments in overseas markets are unlikely to register strong growth. Samsung, on the other hand, is likely to see its shipments increase once the global economy starts recovering.

U.S. smartphone sales plummeted 25% in Q2 2020 due to coronavirus