It is well known that Huawei’s smartphone business is having problems. How catastrophic the crash is, especially in Europe, is now shown in a particular way by a number. Europeans are now leaving the Chinese’s mobile phones behind. Two competitors are particularly benefiting from the misery.
Less than a year ago, Huawei was still on the throne, trumping Samsung as the world’s largest smartphone maker, albeit for a brief moment. Since then, the company has only gone downhill, and the harsh US sanctions are taking their toll. Huawei had to take the lowest point in Europe in the first quarter of 2021.
Huawei only with 2 percent market share in Europe
According to figures from Counterpoint Research, Huawei ranks only 5th with a market share of 2 percent. The Chinese manufacturer hasn’t even made it onto the podium anymore. The crash is all the more dramatic when you look at the previous year’s quarter: in Q1/2020, Huawei was still able to point to 9 percent of the market share in Europe – thus a decline of 77 percent within 12 months. This puts Huawei on a par with OnePlus or Realme, which have made a name for themselves among smartphone enthusiasts but have not yet arrived in ordinary consumers’ consciousness.
Xiaomi and Oppo, in particular, benefited from Huawei’s crash. The former increased its market share from 11 to 17 percent, and Oppo was able to double its market share. Overall, BBK Electronics, which includes Oppo and OnePlus, and Realme, can look for a combined market share of 10 percent in Europe. An exciting race for third place is expected to develop between Xiaomi and the BBK brands in the medium term.
Huawei to focus on Google
Huawei’s current business model as a hardware manufacturer is increasingly in question, which is why experts expect a strategic shift towards software and cloud computing. The model Apple has run out, now it seems to be oriented towards Google. It is also fitting that the self-developed Operating System HarmonyOS is already in the starting blocks.