“At the same time the number of unlocked/off-contract offerings has increased significantly and it’s slowly starting to resonate with consumers”. “Within these markets these moves will put pressure directly on Android OEMs with offerings that are greater than $500”.
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The Chinese manufacturing giant was forecast in July to ship 100 million smartphones by the end of 2015, and has been edging closer to this each quarter.
Samsung Electronics Co. (SSNHZ, 005930.SE) remained the global market leader during the third quarter, with shipments reaching 84.5 million units, an increase of 6.1%. Samsung’s September numbers were stronger than normal because the new iPhones weren’t released until late in the month, and because Samsung launched its Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus in August.
Smartphone shipments clocked up 355.2 million shipments globally in Q3 – the second highest level for a single quarter – according to preliminary data from IDC. The arrival of the new “S” models brings a new Rose gold colour to the table along with Force Touch, improved camera, and a faster processor. Huawei’s 81 percent surge in sales year-on-year made it possible to surpass Xiaomi. According to IDC, almost a third of Huawei’s quarterly shipments were in the mid-to-high end price range. Higher-end device sales also grew, a key target for Huawei as it seeks to shed its budget supplier image.
But while Huawei may be celebrating its rocketing growth in the smartphone game, the United States market remains a huge challenge to the company, which is best known as a networks kit vendor.
The company has also been granted the seal of approval by Google, who has partnered with Huawei to build the premium Nexus 6P, which should help its brand recognition in the USA “Huawei will use the Nexus win to increased visibility for their brand and smartphone quality in the mobile industry and among the savvy early adopters who typically buy Nexus devices”, Ian Fogg, mobile analyst with IHS Technologies, told IBT. Lenovo’s acquisition of the Motorola brand in 2014 has helped push its combined shipments up 11.1%, while their share stands at 5.3%. The Shenzhen-based company was the third-largest smartphone vendor, a position that previously belonged to Chinese rival Xiaomi, with 7.5% market share and 26.5 million smartphones shipped in the third quarter.
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Shipments to Europe nearly doubled (up 98 per cent), although Huawei did not disclose exact figures.
