Huawei's share of global smartphone shipments 2012-2020, by quarter

Huawei's share of the global smartphone market dropped significantly from the third quarter of 2020 to the fourth, falling from 14.7 percent to 8.4 percent. This was driven in part by the resurgence of Apple, after they significantly increased their market share through the release of the iPhone 12.

   

Huawei took top spot for the first time in 2020

    Although the fourth quarter of 2020 was weaker, the second quarter marked the first time that Huawei emerged as the market leader in terms of total smartphones shipped, with the Chinese smartphone producer accounting for 20 percent of the market. To achieve the feat, Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices, ahead of Samsung who shipped 54.2 million smartphones, and Apple, who shipped 37.6 million smartphones.

   

Samsung suffered initially under pressure from COVID-19

  While Huawei were boosted by their ability to cope with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Samsung suffered more than any other major smartphone producer during the first phases of the pandemic. Samsung shipped 54.2 million devices in the second quarter of 2020, far fewer than the 75.5 million smartphones the Korean company shipped in the second quarter of 2019. Apple also shipped fewer smartphones in the second quarter of 2020 than they did in the fourth quarter of 2019, however, this is in keeping with a typical Apple shipment cycle.