Global sales of smartphones reached 296 million units, a decline of 20.4 per cent at the end of Q2, 2020. This fall has been attributed to disruptions occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.
Samsung has maintained its top position selling nearly 55 million units, said a new Gartner report.
Huawei took the second position, selling a total of 54 million units at the end of the second quarter of this year.
While it is the top smartphone vendor, Samsung recorded the worst fall in sales while its rival Apple, with 38 million units sold experienced a nearly flat growth.
Smartphone seller Huawei also recorded a yearly drop in sales although its quarterly sales figures was a 27.4% growth.
Travel restrictions, retail closures, and more prudent spending on nonessential products during the pandemic hit smartphone sales in China, said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner.
Samsung recorded a yearly decline of 27.1 % with demand for its recently unleashed flagship S Series smartphones doing little to boost its global sales figures.
Huawei’s yearly smartphone sales declined 6.8% with its sales in China, pushing up its quarterly figures.
Huawei increased its penetration of the Chinese smartphone market to 42.6% in Q2, 2020. This was due to its aggressive advertising and sales campaign to promote its 5G smartphones.
But while demand for smartphone remains strong in China, sales in this red hot market declined with close to 94 million smart devices sold off at the end of Q2, 2020.
While India is among the top five smartphone markets in the world, rigorous lockdowns that also included restrictions on e-commerce severely hit its smartphone sales which declined by a massive 46%.
