Xiaomi, the big winner of Huawei’s decline in the European smartphone market

Huawei a “It has practically disappeared from the European smartphone market”, Says Counterpoint. A boon for manufacturers like Xiaomi and Oppo who score market share points in the old continent in 2020.

Smartphone sales in Europe fell by 14% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the company’s study the interview Posted on Monday, March 1, 2021. In question, a drop in demand – consumers preferred to save in highly uncertain economic times – such as supply – POS could not open during several periods of reservation. April, at the heart of the first shutdown, was the brutal month for manufacturers with sales down nearly 50%. These have resumed over the summer as the number of Covid-19 cases decreased and health restrictions eased. But since September, the resumption of contamination and then the establishment of a second containment in November has again led to negative numbers despite traditionally full sales during year-end celebrations.

Huawei a “It has practically disappeared from the European smartphone market”

Despite this 14% decrease, some players have had a good success. Thus, Xiaomi and Chinese Oppo, which favors US sanctions against its rival Huawei, has sharply slowed its activity in Europe (-43%) and in the world. Significant percentages of market share in the ancient continent. Xiaomi has grown by 90%, with 26.7 million smartphones sold in Europe in 2020, compared to 14 million in 2019. On the side of Oppo, which entered our market in 2018 and strategically allied with operators such as Orange or Vodafone, the growth reached 82. %. Xiaomi is now climbing to the third place in the ranking of smart phone manufacturers in Europe, behind Samsung and Apple, but ahead of Huawei, which has today. “It has practically disappeared from the European smartphone market”According to the report. Oppo ranks fifth ahead of Oneplus and Realme which saw their sales jump by 1083% in 2020, and is still in Europe.

Remember that last fall, Huawei It sold its division of honor to a Chinese consortium to better rid itself of the sanctions the Trump administration had imposed on the United States. The company should not have any stake in Honor once the transaction is validated. Huawei then wanted to focus on the high-end market, represented by Families of p And the Companion, Leaving the entry level embodied by honor.

Xiaomi performed remarkably well in Spain and Italy as its sales increased by 28% and 17% respectively in the fourth quarter. The Chinese factory will now face the challenge of “Reproduce this growth in other regions, particularly in more premium markets such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.”, The report confirms. A process that the Xiaomi Mi 11 launch could favor.

Galaxy S21, Europe’s first premium Android smartphone in 2021?

Throughout the whole of 2020, Samsung held its number one position and even managed to capture a point of market share. But its sales are down 12% (although it is less than the overall European market) and South Korea has failed to take advantage of Huawei’s decline on the continent. Several factors could explain this situation, according to Counterpoint:

• Sales of the Galaxy S20 didn’t really take off, especially with the A51 and A71 models from Samsung, but also with the Redmi 8, Note 8, Redmi 9, and Note 9, in addition to Apple devices.
• The European market is more competitive due to the emergence of new players willing to capitalize on the loophole left by Huawei.
• Samsung’s monopoly in the 5G sector has nearly ended since the launch of the iPhone 12.

Counterpoint, however, expects the Galaxy S21 “ It works better than the S20, and it will undoubtedly be the first premium Android smartphone in Europe in 2021. ”.

On the Apple side, sales are down 1%, but the report states that the iPhone 12 launch, delayed until last October, is the best in the brand’s history. It even placed Cupertino in first place in market share in the fourth quarter.

For 2021, the company sees the positive dynamics of Xiaomi and Oppo continuing, along with strong iPhone 12 sales and good numbers for the Galaxy S21. Plus, it will take command Watch the evolution of 5G, As well as other new arrivals such as OnePlus and Vivo.