From No. 1 to No. 6, Huawei smartphone shipments plunge 41% as U.S. sanctions bite

Huawei’s smartphone shipments have continued to plunge as a result of U.S. sanctions, sending the once No. 1 vendor in the world tumbling below rivals like Apple. The Chinese technology giant shipped 33 million smartphones globally in the fourth quarter of 2020, a 41% year-on-year decline, putting its market share at 8%, according to data released by Counterpoint Research on Thursday. That made Huawei the sixth biggest smartphone maker in the December quarter, behind Chinese rivals like Oppo and Vivo and far behind Apple and Samsung.

Data released Thursday by Canalys showed Huawei shipped 32 million smartphones in the fourth quarter, down nearly 43% from last year. It’s the first time Huawei has slipped out of the top five in six years, Canalys said. “Huawei dramatically receded in most markets as the result of the US sanctions,” Amber Liu, analyst at Canalys Research, said in a report. The latest figures mark a sharp fall for Huawei versus the second quarter of 2020 when it was No. 1 in the world by shipments.

For the entire 2020 year, Huawei was the third-largest by smartphone shipments, according to the research firms. Huawei responded to the latest numbers noting its third place position. “Huawei has always been committed to innovation and devoted to creating more value for consumers with better products. Over the last year, our smartphone business has developed robustly, and tablet, PC and wearable have seen a significant growth. We remain confident about the future,” the company said in a statement.

From No. 1 to No. 6, Huawei smartphone shipments plunge 41% as U.S. sanctions bite, CNBC, Jan 28