Huawei overtakes Apple to become the second largest smartphone seller in the first quarter of 2019 with a 17 per cent share in the global smartphone market. According to Counterpoint Research, Huawei is now just behind Samsung as the company retains the top position with 21 per cent market share (from 22 in Q1 2018), while Apple's shares went down to 12 per cent from 14 per cent in Q1 2019 in the same quarter last year.
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Huawei shipment volumes have gone up nearly 50 per cent year on year, while Apple shipments have gone down to 20 per cent, along with Samsung showing a slump of eight per cent as well.
Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research, said in a statement, "Huawei became the second largest smartphone brand by shipment without a significant presence in an important market like the United States".
Huawei is expected to stay ahead of Apple till the end of 2019, as the dual-brand (Honor) strategy has helped the company in building a youth connect and gaining market share in the sluggish Chinese market.
Reports suggest that overall smartphone shipments have declined five per cent year on year in Q1 2019 making it the sixth consecutive quarter of shipments falling in the global smartphone market.
Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, Tarun Pathak said, "The global smartphone market showed no sign of recovery in Q1 2019. The rate of decline increased, particularly in February, due to inventory correction by some brands and the production halt during Chinese New Year. Another reason for the decline is lengthening replacement cycles, especially in the premium segment".
Pathak added, "The replacement rate for iPhones is reaching close to 36 months, while the replacement rate for premium Android devices is closing in at 30 months. This can be attributed to the higher quality of devices, increasing the average selling price (ASP), and the lack of innovative technology".
(With IANS inputs)
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