New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) As global smartphone shipments fell 1.2 per cent in the second quarter (Q2) this year, the combined market share of Chinese majors Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Realme reached 42 per cent, the highest-ever level, in the June quarter.
The global smartphone shipments reached 360 million units, making it the seventh consecutive quarter of decline, according to Counterpoint Research.
“Heavy marketing, faster portfolio refresh, high spec devices at aggressive prices, and multi-channel presence are some of the key reasons why Chinese brands fared better than the local and global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs),” said Varun Mishra, Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research.
The smartphone market slowdown is mainly due to China, which has continued to decline for two years now. The heightened US-China trade war during the quarter has further escalated the uncertainties of the smartphone market.
India, however, remains a key growth market as the shipments set a second-quarter record.
“Despite the ban, Huawei was able to register a 4.6 per cent growth during the quarter, capturing 16 per cent market share globally. In the coming quarters, Huawei is likely to be aggressive in its home market and register some growth there,” said Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research.
Samsung grew 7.1 per cent (YoY), capturing over one-fifth of the global smartphone market share.
The South Korean giant has overhauled its product portfolio in 2019 with its A and M series targeting the sub $300 price segment aggressively.
The flagship S series, in which Samsung launched three devices instead of the usual two, covering wider price points also continue to do well.
Apple iPhone shipments fell 11 per cent , and iPhone revenues fell 12 per cent year-on-year.
Realme entered the top 10 OEMs globally for the first time.
“It took Realme only a year to achieve this feat. Strong performance in India and expansion overseas drove its growth,” said the report.
The global market further consolidated, with the top 10 brands’ market share increasing to 79 per cent from 76 per cent a year ago.
“We expect that 5G will have a faster rollout than 4G LTE. We expect sales of 5G devices to be over 20 million in 2019,” said Mishra.
–IANS
na/dpb