Huawei overtakes Apple in worldwide shipments of smartphones. Here are the figures

According to data that was released by International Data Corporation (IDC), Canalys and Strategy Analytics, Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei has overtaken Apple and moved into the second position in terms of market share of worldwide shipments of smartphones in the second quarter of 2018. 

According to the data, the company shipped over 54 million handsets in the second quarter compared to the 41.3 million that was recorded by Apple. The list is topped by Samsung which sold over 73 million units in the second quarter. 

As per IDC's figures, Samsung held 20.9% of the market share, while Huawei ranked second with 15.8% trailed by Apply which had 12.1% of the share. Experts suggest that Huawei might enjoy the second position only for a short while, however, as Apple is likely to launch three new iPhones by September. 

It could also be concluded that the whopping jump of 41% in Huawei shipments was majorly due to the company's Honor brand. In its press release, IDC stated that 'the Honor brand continues to be a key driver of growth for the Chinese tech giant'. Additionally, Canalys states that the Honor brand "accounted for two-thirds of the near 16-million-jump that Huawei made this quarter". 

Huawei's premium line of smartphones put up a good show too with the P20 and the P20 Pro drawing "strong demand" throughout the quarter. While it is not surprising that China accounted for 27% of the company's shipments, the US mobile market showed little contribution, if any, towards Huawei's success. 

These reports have been released a few days after Samsung cited 'soft' demand for its flagship model S9. This is, however, expected to reflect in the next quarter. The South Korean company will next release the Galaxy Note 9 which would be unveiled on August 9. 

The flagship S9/S9+, which launched late in the first quarter, witnessed slower than normal sales according to Samsung. Samsung claims the slowdown is due to intensifying competition in the high-end market and an overall sluggish smartphone market. "The Korean giant will look to bolster sales in the coming weeks as we await the arrival of the new Galaxy Note 9", said IDC in its report.