Huawei said it grew smartphone shipments 25 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2016 to 60.56 million. This far outpaces the estimated 3.1 percent global market growth, the company noted. Total revenue from its Consumer Business Group increased 41 percent year-on-year to CNY 77.4 billion (USD 11.6 billion) in the first half, thanks to strong demand outside its home market China.
In particular, the company saw strong demand in high-end smartphone markets such as Europe and emerging markets including North Africa, Central Asia and Latin America, Huawei said. Citing figures from GFK for the end of May, Huawei said its share of the global smartphone market reached 11.4 percent and as high as 15 percent in some European markets and New Zealand. In China, Huawei remained market leader with a market share of 18.6 percent.
It has especially expanded its share in the USD 500-600 smartphone segment. The company said it has sold 4.5 million of its flagship P9 and P9 Plus devices, with sales outside China more than double that of the P8. In addition, Huawei has more than doubled its retail footprint in the past year, with 35,000 retail stores around the world offering Huawei products as of May.
At a press conference on the results, Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu said he was confident of meeting the company’s target to grow smartphone shipments 30 percent over the full year, to more than 140 million. Revenues in 2016 are expected to grow in line with the first half and reach a total USD 28 billion, supported by the expansion of the retail network, the Wall Street Journal reported.
