Apple overtook Huawei to reclaim its position as the second-bestselling smartphone maker in the world in 2020, according to research reports from firms Counterpoint and Canalys.
As expected, Samsung remains on top in terms of devices shipped, followed by Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, three China-based companies that don’t officially sell their devices in Canada. Back in 2019, similar research reports revealed that Huawei managed to overtake Apple for the second-place slot.
Since then, U.S. trade sanctions have hit Huawei pretty hard, though the China-based company continues to sell its smartphones in Canada. The most recently released Huawei smartphone in Canada is the Mate 30 Pro. That said, the device doesn’t have access to the Google Play Store and instead features Huawei’s limited AppGallery app store.
According to Counterpoint’s research, Huawei’s shipments were down 21 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. Further, the company dropped out of the top five smartphone manufacturers worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Overall, Apple’s sales increase isn’t massive, coming to either 3 or 5 percent, depending on if you look at Counterpoint Research’s or Canalys’ report. Another interesting fact to note about the reports is that it looks like Samsung’s stranglehold on the smartphone business is starting to loosen. Both reports indicate that its market share is shrinking as China-based manufacturers like Xiaomi gain ground.
As expected, the reports also indicate the entire smartphone market is down compared to 2019, which makes sense given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Image credit: Counterpoint
Source: Counterpoint, Canalys
