Despite the challenges imposed by the US government, Huawei has managed to regain its throne in the Chinese market. According to data from research firm Canalys, the company obtained 17% of China’s smartphone market during the first quarter of 2024.
The news follows the struggles Huawei has been facing due to the US government’s ban, preventing it from doing business with companies in the US. Later, the UK, Japan, and Australia also joined the move by banning Huawei from using their 5G infra, leading to further issues for Huawei.
Despite this, the Chinese brand managed to find solutions to these problems by instead employing the Hongmeng operating system and Kirin processors on its devices. Now, the company is rising in prominence in China again, with Canalys revealing that the company is now the top player in the Chinese smartphone market.
The firm shared in a recent report that Huawei shipped 11.7 million smartphone units during the first quarter of the year in China. This translates to 17% in market share in the industry, making it the biggest player in the market. This is followed by other Chinese brands, including Oppo, Honor, and Vivo, which secured 16%, 16%, and 15% market share of the said industry in the country. Apple, on the other hand, fell to fifth place with a 10% market share.
According to Canalys, Huawei’s business success this year was mainly due to the release of its recent Nova, Mate, and Pura creations.
To recall, the company released the Mate 60 series, which was welcomed warmly in the Chinese market in 2023. According to reports, the lineup overshadowed Apple’s iPhone 15 in China, with Huawei selling 1.6 million Mate 60 units within just six weeks after its launch. Interestingly, over 400,000 units were reportedly sold in the last two weeks or during the same period Apple launched the iPhone 15 in mainland China. The success of the new Huawei series is further boosted by the rich sales of the Pro model, which constituted three-quarters of the total Mate 60 series units sold.
After this, Huawei unveiled the Pura 70 series, which also became a success. Within the first few moments of the lineup going live on Huawei’s online store in China, the stocks immediately became unavailable due to high demand. According to Counterpoint Research, Huawei could double its smartphone 2024 sales through the help of the Pura 70 series, allowing it to jump from 32 million smartphones in 2023 to 60 million units this year. If true, this could further secure Huawei’s position as the top player in China in the coming months.
