Huawei overtakes Samsung as world’s top 5G foldable smartphone vendor in first quarter, Counterpoint data shows
- The South Korean giant’s market share dropped to under a quarter from more than half a year earlier, while Huawei’s share rose to 35 per cent
- A key driver of Huawei’s spike in foldable smartphone shipments is its new 5G models, according to Counterpoint
Shenzhen-based Huawei saw its foldable smartphone shipments in the first three months of the year jump 257 per cent year on year, according to data published by research firm Counterpoint on Thursday.
In the same period last year, Samsung commanded 58 per cent of the global foldable smartphone market, while Huawei had only 14 per cent. The South Korean tech conglomerate’s share dropped to 23 per cent last quarter, surpassed by Huawei’s 35 per cent share, Counterpoint data showed.
A key driver of Huawei’s spike in foldable smartphone shipments is its new 5G models, according to Counterpoint. In the March quarter, 84 per cent of Huawei’s foldable shipments were 5G-enabled, compared to a year ago, when the company’s foldable line consisted solely of 4G LTE devices, the consultancy said.
Huawei’s booklet-type Mate X5 and the clamshell-type Pocket 2 are both popular foldable models in China, Counterpoint said.
