Sales of sanctions imposed on the company by the United States, Apple faced a bit of a set back during the ongoing global pandemic.
Since Huawei unseated Apple for second place in smartphone sales, the iPhone-maker has been slowly sliding down the global market ladder. Of course, Apple is still a wildly successful company and the changes in the global smartphone hierarchy happen frequently and are often tied to the varied release schedule throughout the year. Regardless of these usual fluctuations, it is notably that the mighty iPhone seems destined to fall to fourth place as Xiaomi's sales continue to surge.
Huawei suffered a 21.3-percent decrease in sales in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the third quarter of 2019, according to Gartner. Apple's drop-off was less pronounced than Huawei's, losing 0.6-percent in year-over-year sales. In comparison, Xiaomi's sales increased 34.9-percent compared to 2019, while Samsung saw a more modest 2.2 percent growth. The results do suggest there's a new big three in smartphone sales with Samsung remaining at the top with 22-percent of the overall market share for the third quarter, followed by Huawei at 14.1-percent, and Xiaomi at 12.1-percent.
Why Apple Is Poised For A Q4 Rebound
According to another recent report, line of iPhone models. With the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max all now available, coupled with holiday shopping trends, this could very well help Apple reclaim its position as one of the top three smartphone sellers.
Huawei, however, might not be so lucky. The U.S. has placed restrictions on the supply chain for Huawei products, and has even barred the company from using Google's official version of the Android operating system. Huawei is still a popular smartphone brand outside of the U.S., but these sanctions and restrictions have made it far more difficult for Huawei to maintain a share in a major smartphone market. With Xiaomi and Samsung both showing increased sales, and Apple potentially ready for a Q4 bounce, the fourth quarter figures could see further changes to the ranking of the runners in the global smartphone sales race.
Source: Gartner