Huawei topples Apple in smartphone sales
Global smartphone shipments fell in 2017, their first decline after several years of strong growth
Beijing — Huawei Technologies pulled ahead of Apple to claim the number two position in global smartphone shipments in the second quarter, just behind Samsung Electronics, solidifying the rise of Chinese competitors. Huawei shipped 54.2-million phones in the quarter, 41% more than a year earlier, to jump ahead of the iPhone maker for the first time, according to market research firm IDC. The telecoms giant accounted for 16% of the market, compared with 21% for South Korea’s Samsung and 12% for Apple. Xiaomi and Oppo, both based in China, rounded out the top five. Chinese smartphone makers have been gaining influence as their domestic market grows and they expand abroad. Huawei has pushed into Europe and Africa, though it has failed to crack the massive US market. Apple tends to sell iPhones at higher prices than its rivals and profits from services like iTunes, which helped it top earnings estimates for the quarter. "The importance of Huawei overtaking Apple this quarter cannot be o...
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