Samsung reclaims top spot in global smartphone sales, while Huawei and Apple lose ground

Smartphone sales were better than expected during the third quarter of 2020. Image: mihailomilovanovic/IStock.com

Over 353.6 million smartphones were sold in the world during the third quarter of 2020, recording a minor 1.3% dip compared to last year. Samsung overtook Chinese competitor Huawei to slide into first place, while Xiaomi kicked Apple off the podium.

With a market share of 22.7% and 80.4 million smartphones sold, Samsung reclaimed the top position in Q3 of 2020, a growth of 2.9% year-on-year. Huawei came second with 51.9 million smartphones sold, recording a decrease of 22% compared to the same period last year. This is in part due to the U.S. sanctions on the Chinese manufacturer; since spring 2019, Huawei’s most recent models are no longer able to use Google Android software or Google’s online store.

Xiaomi was able to grab third place, close on Huawei’s heels with 46.5 million smartphones sold, recording a 42% rise this quarter compared to the same period last year.

Apple ranks fourth, having sold only 41.6 million iPhones, a decrease of 10.6% this quarter. The upcoming iPhone 12 release this October should help Apple bounce back at the end of 2020.

Vivo rounds up the Top 5 with 31.5 million devices sold in the past three months, a year-on-year growth of 4.2%. NVG

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