Skip to content
Electronics

Huawei maintains China smartphone lead

By Wei ZhangChina
1 min read
Bursts of three machines in Hong Kong Huawei Ascend P6 P2 and G525 1
Bursts of three machines in Hong Kong Huawei Ascend P6 P2 and G525 1
In this article (5)

Huawei maintained its lead in China’s smartphone market for the second straight quarter during Q2, while Xiaomi supplanted Apple to take fourth place, according to Canalys.

Huawei shipped over 23 million handsets during the quarter, the research firm said. China’s smartphone market is now firmly dominated by local vendors, with Oppo taking second place after increasing its shipments by 37% year-on-year to 21 million, and Vivo taking third place with 16 million.

Likewise, Xiaomi reported a strong 60% quarter-on-quarter growth in handset shipments to 15 million, taking over from Apple in fourth place. Xiaomi is achieving this momentum by focusing on low-cost handsets, according to Canalys research analyst Lucio Chen.

“Xiaomi still offers the best value in the Chinese market, and it remains the preferred choice for price-conscious consumers. The online channel continues to be a key route to market for Xiaomi and this quarter saw it take the lead in the 618 online sales events across online retail platforms, such as JD.com and Tmall,” he said.

The rest of China’s top ten smartphone vendors, including Apple, Samsung and Meizu all suffered annual shipment declines during the quarter.

With the top five brands accounting for almost three quarters of shipments for the quarter, the smartphone market is showing signs of continuing to consolidate, Canalys said.

Total shipments also fell 3% during the quarter to 113 million, putting an end to six consecutive quarters of growth.

Questions & Answers

Q.

Which company holds the top position in China's smartphone market, and for how long?

A.

Huawei maintained its lead in China's smartphone market for the second consecutive quarter. They shipped over 23 million handsets during Q2, according to the research firm Canalys.

Q.

What led to Xiaomi's significant growth in the market, allowing them to overtake Apple?

A.

Xiaomi achieved strong 60% quarter-on-quarter growth by focusing on low-cost handsets. They also took the lead in the 618 online sales events across major retail platforms like JD.com and Tmall.

Q.

Did the overall Chinese smartphone market grow during the last quarter?

A.

No, the total shipments in China's smartphone market actually fell 3% during the quarter. This put an end to a period of six consecutive quarters of growth, with 113 million units shipped.

Q.

Which companies make up the top five smartphone vendors in China?

A.

The top five smartphone vendors in China are Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Apple. These companies collectively accounted for almost three quarters of the shipments during the quarter.

Reader pulse

Is Xiaomi's low-cost strategy sustainable?

20,750 votes so far

Weekly Briefing

Asia's retail intelligence, in your inbox

Monday, Wednesday and a Friday Weekly Wrap: the retail stories, numbers and moves that mattered across Asia. Nothing else, and you can unsubscribe in one click.

  • Top industry moves and market shifts
  • Weekly data-driven analysis from across Asia
  • Monday, Wednesday and the Friday Weekly Wrap

Read by retail operators, investors and brand teams across Asia.

Protected by a quick human check. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe in one click.

SecureGDPR ready