Huawei's share of China's smartphone market rose to a record lever in the third quarter as rivals like Apple saw a decline.
Huawei shipped 41.5 million smartphones in China in the third quarter, representing 66% growth year-on-year, according to new data from research firm Canalys.
Huawei now commands 42% of China's overall smartphone market, far outpacing Apple and local Chinese competitors like Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi.
“Huawei opened a huge gap between itself and other vendors,” said Nicole Peng, Canalys VP of mobility.
“Its dominant position gives Huawei a lot of power to negotiate with the supply chain and to increase its wallet share within channel partners.”
According to an August report by the IDC, smartphone shipments in China stood at 98 million units in the second quarter of 2019, down 6% from the same period last year.
Among local vendors, Huawei is at the top with a 37% market share, followed by Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi, cnTechPost reported previously in the story "The ultimate guide to understanding China's smartphone market".
Since late May, Huawei's overseas smartphone sales were hampered.
But in the domestic market, the company leveraged its existing strengths to drive its local market share to a new high.
It continued to increase its penetration and influence in tier 4-6 cities with new agents and additional manpower.
Its P30 series and the Honor 20 series also launched in June, supported by strong imaging capabilities and by the good word-of-mouth accumulated over previous generations of products.
Canalys said Wednesday China's smartphone market remained “gloomy,” with overall shipments shrinking 3% against the previous year.
Apple, the world's third-biggest seller of smartphones, warned about weak demand in China earlier this year but has since cited improvements in the market.
Canalys's data showed Apple maintained its position as the fifth-biggest seller of smartphones in China, with the iPhone 11 accounting for nearly 40% of Apple's third-quarter shipments in the region.
