Huawei is taking on Apple: sales figures in China are falling sharply

According to calculations by analysis agency Counterpoint Research, Huawei sold 64 percent more smartphones in the first six weeks of this year than in the same period last year. iPhone sales, on the other hand, were 24 percent lower.

The Mate 60, released last year, was celebrated in China as a triumph for the company against US sanctions. The restrictions, among other things, cut Huawei off from modern chip technologies. Nevertheless, the phone works in high-speed 5G wireless networks – and also sparked politically motivated buying interest among patriotic-minded Chinese. Instead of Google’s Android system, the Mate 60 runs Huawei’s own Harmony OS.

Huawei’s Chinese competitors also sold fewer devices in the first weeks of the year than a year earlier. Oppo’s sales fell by 29 percent and Xiaomi’s by 7 percent, Counterpoint reported on Tuesday. Vivo remained the market leader despite a 15 percent decline in sales.

However, Huawei came close to the leader after the sales increase. According to figures from Counterpoint, Vivo had a market share of 18 percent and Huawei 17 percent. Apple and former Huawei brand Honor followed with 16 percent market share each, ahead of Xiaomi with 14 percent and Oppo with 13 percent.

Apple is the only Western manufacturer that is strong in the Chinese smartphone market. In the last quarter, the group generated more than 17 percent of its total turnover in the Chinese region. (sda/dpa)