In the first half of its current fiscal year, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has sold 25 % more smartphones than last year. In absolute numbers (60 million smartphones), Huawei is getting ever closer to Apple and Samsung.
Faster growth than the entire industry
Over the first six months of 2016, Huawei generated a 245.5 billion yuan (33.5 billion euro) turnover, with about a third from consumer electronics. A remarkable achievement, as only 5 years ago Huawei did not even sell directly to the consumer.
The company’s rise to stardom in the smartphone industry is overwhelming: its overall sales only grew 3.1 % in the past 6 months, well below Huawei’s own 25 % growth in the same time frame. The Chinese company is currently third when it comes to smartphone sales and its goal is to surpass the major two, Samsung and Apple.
However, Samsung filed a claim against Huawei because it feels several of the Chinese company’s smartphones breach its patents. It now demands 161 million yuan (22 million euro) in damages, while it requests a sale ban on these particular smartphones. “Despite our best efforts to resolve the matter amicably, we are forced to go to court to protect our intellectual property”, Samsung said.
