Huawei jumps ahead of Apple in smartphone sales

Huawei has claimed the second position in smartphone shipments in the second quarter, jumping ahead of the Apple iPhones and just behind Samsung even though the Chinese manufacturer is not offered by major US carriers.

Huawei shipped 54.2m phones in the quarter, 41% more than in the year-ago quarter and overtaking Apple’s iPhone for the first time according to market research firm IDC.

Huawei accounted for 16% of the market, just behind the 21% of South Korea’s Samsung. Apple accounted for 12% and Chinese Xiaomi and Oppo made the top five.

Shipments of Huawei phones in its home ground of China topped 100m in the second quarter, up from 91m in the first. Furthermore Huawei has been expanding outside the Asian market and has pushed into Europe and Africa.

Nevertheless, no major carriers in the US sell Huawei phones yet due to security fears, although the company has denied that it facilitates spying and has no association with Chinese government or military networks.

Huawei is one of several companies racing to develop capabilities for 5G wireless technology. If major countries refuse or ban the use of Huawei's telecom gear, it would significantly harm the company's goal to become a global leader the new tech.