It seems that US sanctions are not holding Huawei back, as the Chinese tech giant has now taken the global top spot in smartphone shipments, at least when it comes to foldable models.
Huawei Mate Xs 2 – Amazing foldable phone!
The worldwide market for foldable smartphones grew by 49 percent in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period last year, according to figures from Counterpoint Research. Much of this growth was driven by "significant shipment increases" at several Chinese phone makers, notably Huawei, which overtook Samsung for the first time.
Counterpoint says Huawei saw a whopping 257 percent year-over-year growth, a key factor in which was the transition of its portfolio to mostly 5G devices from only offering LTE phones a year ago.
Despite challenges in securing supplies for its homegrown 5G system-on-chip (SoC), thanks to the US sanctions, Huawei will continue to treat foldable devices as a priority due to the higher price they can command.
