Huawei and other smaller smartphone manufacturers gain ground

Huawei has seen the number of smartphones it sold jump 123 per cent in the big five European markets over the past year, and now holds three per cent share, securing a five per cent holding in both the German and Spanish markets.

Wiko, which also saw triple digit growth across Europe, holds an eight per cent share in France and is pushing ahead with expansion across untapped parts of Europe.

The UK market has not yet experienced the same levels of fragmentation as its European counterparts, but with Wiko set to make a push in the UK this year it will be interesting to see if it follows suit.

In China, local vendor Xiaomi outsold Samsung for the second time in April. Its budget Xiaomi RedMi was the top selling smartphone in China – the world’s largest smartphone market. Some 41 per cent of consumers who bought the Xiaomi RedMi were first time smartphone buyers, while 23 per cent were captured from Samsung by churning consumers.

OS shares across Europe have stabilised with Android holding its position as the number one operating system in Europe, with a 72.4 per cent share of the market. It is followed by Apple with a 17.5 per cent share, while in third place; Windows’ European market share stands at 8.4 per cent. In the UK, Android holds 58.2 per cent of the market and iOS 30.2 per cent, while Windows accounts for 9.5 per cent.