Unstoppable: Huawei returns to regain the No. 1 position in China's mobile phone market

On February 4, it was reported that the latest data from market research agency Counterpoint Research showed that Huawei returned to the Chinese market in the first two weeks of 2024 as the No. 1 smartphone sales position. Huawei's share of sales has been declining since the imposition of U.S. sanctions in 2019, and this summit marks the first time it has regained the top spot.

Counterpoint believes that Huawei has regained the top spot in China's smartphone market for several reasons:

First, the Mate 60 series, powered by its self-developed Kirin 9000S chip, is a key driver of Huawei's recent success.

On August 30, 2023, the pre-sale page of the Mate 60 Standard Edition was launched on HUAWEI Mall. On September 3rd, the Mate 60 Pro went on sale in full swing, and at 18:08, it only took 1 minute for online platforms such as Huawei Mall, Taobao, Tmall, and Jingdong to go on sale, and the stock of all colors was sold out. The popularity of the Mate 60 series remains high, and it has become a hot topic on the whole network as soon as it is released. In addition, it has strong brand loyalty and the successful launch of the HarmonyOS operating system.

Second, Chinese brands are moving towards the high-end market.

In 2023, China's high-end smartphone market grew by 27%. Apple maintained its market leadership with its strong performance in the first half of 2023. However, starting in the third quarter of 2023, Apple's market share began to be eaten away by Huawei and other Chinese brands. It is expected that Chinese brands will continue to develop in the high-end market.

Counterpoint also pointed out that despite Huawei's strong comeback, the market competition is still fierce. Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo are also constantly launching new models in the high-end market, challenging international giants such as Apple and Samsung.

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1,568 days, from May 15, 2019, when the U.S. Department of Commerce said that Huawei would be included in the "Entity List" to impose sanctions, to the sudden release of the Mate 60 series, a total of 1,568 days have passed. Huawei's return to the first place in China's mobile phone market not only represents that its own brand and products have been recognized by the market, but also represents that Huawei and other Chinese companies can still blossom and bear fruit in various fields even after being blocked and "encircled", showing strong and tenacious vitality.