[Asia Economy Reporter Joeslgina] Huawei failed to enter the top 5 in China, the world's largest smartphone market. This is interpreted as a result of U.S. sanctions targeting Huawei. Huawei appears to be making a counterattack by launching the core strategic flagship 'P50 series,' which had been delayed for several months.
According to market research firm IDC on the 28th (local time), China's smartphone shipments in the second quarter recorded 78.1 million units, down 11% compared to the same period last year.
By manufacturer, Vivo ranked first with a market share of 23.8%. Vivo shipped 18.6 million units in the second quarter, showing 23.6% growth. Following that, Oppo ranked second with shipments of 16.5 million units and a market share of 21.1%. Xiaomi (13.4 million units, 17.2%) showed the highest growth rate (47%) compared to the previous year, surpassing Apple (8.6 million units, 10.9%) to take third place.
The fifth place was taken by Honor, a mid-range brand previously sold by Huawei. Although Honor's second-quarter shipments decreased by 46% compared to the same period last year, it is in a position to absorb Huawei's smartphone market share in China, leading to analysis that it could soon surpass Apple. Major foreign media mentioned that the reason for Honor's shipment decline in the second quarter was the lack of new smartphones unlike competitors and a relatively small existing lineup.
Huawei, which is under U.S. government sanctions, did not make it into the top 5 in the Chinese market and was included in 'Others.' The shipment volume of manufacturers classified as 'Others' has been halved compared to the same period last year.
IDC stated, "Among the top 5 manufacturers, 4 showed double-digit growth compared to the previous year, but overall, shipments of other manufacturers including Huawei sharply declined." The total shipment volume in the Chinese market for the first half of 2021 was recorded at 164 million units, up 6.5% compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Huawei is scheduled to hold a new product launch event in China on the evening of the 29th to unveil the new smartphone P50 series. Huawei's strategic flagship model, the P50 series, has attracted attention even before its release due to the possibility of being equipped with Harmony OS, but its launch was delayed for several months due to the global semiconductor shortage and the impact of U.S. sanctions.
Images released earlier confirmed the presence of a so-called 'King Eye Camera,' an ultra-large camera module. It is known that 5G is not supported and the focus is on LTE models. According to leaked information, the P50 Pro 4G features a 6.6-inch OLED display, Kirin 9000 SoC, 50MP quad camera, and a 4360mAh battery.
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