Global smartphone sales fell 20 percent year-on-year to 295 million devices in the second quarter according to Gartner’s latest report.
“Restrictions on travel, business closures, and more careful spending on surplus goods during the pandemic led to a second quarterly decline in smartphone sales in a row,” said Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta. However, he pointed to the improving situation in China.
According to Gartner, Samsung reported a year-on-year decline in smartphone sales of 27 percent to 54.76 million devices in the second quarter. In comparison, Huawei’s sales fell by less than seven percent to 54.13 million devices.
Samsung’s market share fell to 18.6 percent from 20.3 percent a year ago. Huawei’s market share, on the other hand, rose to 18.4 percent from 15.7 percent. “Performance in China has helped Huawei prevent a worse quarterly performance,” said Gupta. “Huawei has increased its lead in China, where it dominated the second quarter’s smartphone market,” he added.
The third place on the world smartphone market was occupied by the American company Apple with a 13 percent share. Its sales fell by only 0.4 percent to 38.39 million devices. “Improved business conditions in China have helped Apple grow in the country,” said Gartner analyst Annette Zimmermann. According to her, Apple also benefited from the launch of the new iPhone SE.