HUAWEI Technologies Co. overtook Samsung Electronics Co. in global smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2020 after Chinese consumer spending bounced back from a COVID-19 trough, according to data from research firm Canalys. Shenzhen-based Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices from April to June, down 5 percent from the same quarter a year earlier. But Samsung’s volume slid a sharper 30 percent to 53.7 million, owing to disruption from the coronavirus in key markets such as Brazil, the United States and Europe, Canalys said. Huawei’s overseas shipments fell 27 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, but the company increased its dominance of the China market which has been faster to recover from COVID-19 and where it now sells more than 70 percent of its phones. “Our business has demonstrated exceptional resilience in these difficult times,” a Huawei spokesman said. “Amidst a period of unprecedented global economic slowdown and challenges, we’ve continued to grow and further our leadership position.” It is the first time that Huawei has snagged the top spot for a single quarter. (SD-Agencies) |