Huawei says it will be number 1 smartphone maker in 2019

Huawei’s
CEO of Huawei’s consumer business group Richard
Yu.
Reuters/Gonzalo
Fuentes

• A senior executive at Huawei, the Chinese phonemaker,
  said he believes the company could dominate smartphones by the
  end of 2019.
• Huawei just overtook Apple to become the world’s second
  biggest smartphone maker behind Samsung, according to IDC
  data.
• This is an impressive achievement given Huawei has
  effectively been locked out of the US.

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Huawei has set its sights on becoming the world’s biggest
smartphone maker, potentially taking the crown from Samsung.

In a media briefing reported by CNBC, Huawei’s consumer CEO
Richard Yu said: “It’s no question that we become the No.2
next year; in Q4 next year it’s possible we become No.1.”

According to preliminary
data from IDC,
Huawei has already surpassed Apple to become the second
biggest smartphone maker in the world. It shipped 54.2 million
devices in the second quarter, and had a record high market share
of 15.8%. This broke an eight-year streak of Apple and Samsung
occupying the top two positions.

Samsung currently maintains its lead, but IDC said hints from its
recent earnings call could signal problems ahead.

Huawei has grown despite being essentially absent in the US
markets. Alleged connections between Huawei and the Chinese
government led to
US officials voicing suspicions about the company, and
cautioning against buying its phones.

Counterpoint
data for the first quarter shows that Huawei has minimal presence
in the US market.

Counterpoint

This has led to Huawei being effectively locked out of the US
market, and a Huawei spokesperson told CNBC: “Huawei is aware of
a range of U.S. government activities seemingly aimed at
inhibiting Huawei’s business in the U.S. market.

“Huawei is trusted by governments and customers in 170 countries
worldwide and poses no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT
vendor, sharing as we do common global supply chains and
production capabilities.”

However, the company has seen the bulk of its growth from Europe
and its home turf of Asia. It is the lead smartphone maker in
China, with a market share of 27% according to IDC.