Chinese brands thrive in a slowing smartphone market

If you happen to have just bought an expensive Android phone, chances are you waited more than two years before upgrading. Around the world, people are holding onto their handsets longer, with iPhone owners staying put for close to three years on average.

Smartphones aren’t flying off the shelves as quickly as they once were, but it isn’t bad news for everyone. It turns out that while big brands like Samsung and Apple both sold fewer phones last year than in 2017, Chinese brands like Huawei and Xiaomi performed far better.  They both saw double-digit growth in shipments despite the slowing market, allowing them to raise their market share globally, according to the China Internet Report 2019. 

The positive trend largely continued into the first quarter of this year, when Huawei leapfrogged Apple to become the world’s second largest smartphone vendor. How did Huawei do it? By shipping a whopping 50% more phones than during the same period in 2018. 

Xiaomi, despite seeing shipments fall in the first quarter, was still the world’s fourth best-selling brand. 

Vivo is another rising star. Largely unknown in the US, the Chinese brand managed to ship 24% more phones, making it into the top five. Its parent company, BBK Electronics -- which also owns Oppo and OnePlus -- is now considered the world’s third largest phone maker.