Huawei Becomes World's 3rd Largest Mobile Phone Vendor in Q2 2015

Boston, MA - July 29, 2015 - According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments grew a lackluster 2 percent annually to reach 435 million units in the second quarter of 2015. Huawei was the star performer, as it captured a record 7 percent marketshare and overtook Microsoft to become the world’s third largest mobile phone vendor for the first time ever.

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Woody Oh, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global mobile phone shipments grew a lackluster 2 percent annually from 428.0 million units in Q2 2014 to 434.6 million in Q2 2015. Smartphones accounted for 8 in 10 of total mobile phone shipments during the quarter. The 2 percent growth rate of the overall mobile phone market is the industry’s weakest performance for two years, due to slowing demand for handsets in China, Europe and the US.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung dipped 7 percent annually and shipped 89.0 million mobile phones worldwide, capturing 20 percent marketshare in Q2 2015. Samsung has stabilized volumes in the high-end, but its lower-tier mobile phones continue to face intense competition from rivals such as Huawei in Asia. Apple grew 35 percent annually and shipped 47.5 million mobile phones for 11 percent worldwide marketshare in Q2 2015. Apple outperformed as consumers in China and elsewhere upgraded to bigger-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models.”

Ken Hyers, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Huawei shipped 30.6 million mobile phones and captured a record 7 percent marketshare worldwide in Q2 2015. Huawei is rising fast in all regions of the world, particularly China where its 4G models, such as the Mate7, are proving wildly popular. Huawei has finally overtaken Microsoft to become the world’s third largest mobile phone vendor for the first time ever.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Microsoft shipped 27.8 million mobile phones and captured 6 percent marketshare worldwide in the second quarter of 2015. Microsoft’s 6 percent global mobile phone marketshare is sitting near an all-time low. Microsoft continues to lose ground in feature phones, while its Lumia smartphone portfolio is in a holding pattern awaiting the launch of new Windows 10 models later this year. Xiaomi shipped 19.8 million mobile phones and captured 5 percent marketshare worldwide in Q2 2015. Xiaomi remains a major player in the China mobile phone market, but its local and international growth is slowing and Xiaomi is facing intense competition from Huawei, Meizu and others. As a result, Xiaomi may struggle to hold on to its top-five global mobile phone ranking in the coming quarters.”

Exhibit 1: Global Mobile Phone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q2 2015

Source: Strategy Analytics