With 2020 well behind us, sales reports from the mobile industry are already beginning to arrive. Analytical firms such as Counterpoint  Research  and  Canalys  have presented their reports for the fourth quarter of 2020, and all agree on the fundamentals: Apple has snatched the position from Huawei , positioning itself as the second largest mobile manufacturer in the world. 

Just under a year ago, the narrative was just the opposite: Huawei overtook Apple to rank second in 2019. But since then, US trade sanctions appear to have taken their toll on Huawei’s shipments. 

Image via Canalys

Apple claims second place from top : Shipments of smartphones in 2020: Apple snatches the position from Huawei

The global smartphone market reportedly continued to recover in the fourth quarter of 2020, rebounding 8% quarter-on-quarter to 395.9 million units. 

In this sense,  Samsung retained its first position , shipping 255.7 million units in 2020, but experiencing a 14% year-on-year drop . The decline is mainly due to a rather slow fourth quarter of 2020 and increased competition. 

For its part, Apple recaptured second place in the global smartphone market . The pent-up demand for a new 5G iPhone, strong carrier promotions, especially in the US, and the longevity of the iPhone 11 are some of the reasons for this growth. If we go to the graphs, we will see that Apple managed to ship 201.1 million units throughout 2020; this represents a year-on-year growth of 8% and 96% quarter-on-quarter. 

Image via Counterpoint Research

Despite sanctions and severe component shortages after the trade conflict with the United States, Huawei managed to hold on to the No. 3 spot during fiscal 2020 thanks to its strong performance in China, which contributed around 70% of its shipments. totals. It should be noted that, in China, Huawei is still the undisputed number one. 

On the fourth podium we have the ever-popular Xiaomi , whose shipments grew 31% year-on-year to 43 million units in the fourth quarter of 2020. However, this time the honorific title of the fastest growing brand in the year does not go to them. … but for Realme, which sold 65% more phones than in 2019 . 

2020 fourth quarter results 

If we look strictly at the results for the fourth quarter of 2020, then we can see how Apple led the quarter , leaving Samsung in second place with 70.4 million shipments and Xiaomi in third place with 32.9 million shipments. 

Image via Counterpoint Research

For its part, Huawei fell to sixth place , being displaced for the first time in history by its rivals and neighbors: Xiaomi,  Oppo  and Vivo, who occupy the third, fourth and fifth place, respectively.