Huawei Continues to Catch Apple, But Still Fighting to Gain Popularity in United States

Huawei, the world's third-largest smartphone maker, continued to gain on Apple in the first three months of the year, with an impressive 21.7 percent growth, according to market research firm IDC.

Huawei P10
Huawei shipped an estimated 34.2 million smartphones worldwide in the first quarter, capturing 9.8 percent market share, based on data from IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. That's up from an estimated 28.1 million smartphones it shipped in the year-ago quarter.

By comparison, Apple shipped an estimated 51.6 million iPhones in the quarter for 14.9 percent market share. Apple essentially saw no smartphone growth in the quarter as the market remains highly saturated, and due to seasonality factors as consumers anticipate a widely rumored trio of new iPhone models.

idc q1 2017 smartphones
Huawei has previously outlined its ambitions to dethrone Samsung as the world's largest smartphone maker within the next four years, a tall task that would require leapfrogging Apple in the process.

"We want to grow into top two market share, and, in the future, top one by 2021," Huawei's consumer head Richard Yu said in February.

Huawei's biggest problem is that it still lacks considerable brand awareness in the western world. In the United States, it does not even crack the list of the top ten most popular smartphone brands, largely because it lacks agreements with the country's biggest carriers Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

American customers have to resort to retailers such as Best Buy or Walmart, or Huawei's direct sales website, to purchase one of their unlocked devices, reducing the brand's visibility in the country.

Huawei has yet to reveal any larger plans for the United States, but in Canada, the company will begin selling its flagship P10 and P10 Plus smartphones through nationwide carriers Rogers and Bell starting in early June. Huawei has also been pushing its brand in Canada during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If Huawei can find success in Canada, then perhaps it will consider tackling the much larger U.S. market next.

Tags: Huawei, IDC

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...

Top Rated Comments

macduke Avatar
107 months ago
That's a nice looking phone—but I can't help thinking that I've seen it somewhere before?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H2SO4 Avatar
107 months ago
They're pretty different. The speaker holes are oval instead of circular! Lol, they even borrowed the chamfered edge from the iPhone 5s.

Not too sure how much more you can do differently.
So the speaker holes are oval. Even if they’d made them ciruclar would it have been a big deal? People have been making round speakers and round speaker holes for years.
Edges, they surely have to be sharp, chamfered or rounded. Not a lot of choice to distinguish themselves there.
Oval plug hole in the centre. Big deal it follows the shape of the plug - what else did you expect?

It’s a slab with a screen on the front, how much variation do you expect? I mean really. Phones don’t look similar to the iPhone because of what Apple did. They also look that way because there are only so many things you can do within the realms of smart phone design.

Guess what cars still have a wheel at each corner, glass on the front back and sides and doors to facilitate entry. There are only so many changes you can make.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
107 months ago
Add to that the TERRIBLE customer service - it takes at least 3 weeks for them to repair a phone under warranty - that they look for any reason to deny a warranty RMA - and "made in China" does not exactly give anyone a warm and fuzzy on quality control ......
You do realize the iPhone is also made in China? Cell phones that are made in China doesn't necessarily Portray a cheaply made product.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
107 months ago
That's a nice looking phone—but I can't help thinking that I've seen it somewhere before?
They're pretty different. The speaker holes are oval instead of circular! Lol, they even borrowed the chamfered edge from the iPhone 5s.

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FasterQuieter Avatar
107 months ago
"Huawei Continues To Copy Apple" would have made a better headline.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
panleya Avatar
107 months ago
Chinese steal our stuff constantly. I know several people who have invented things, sent them overseas to be manufactured, only to see clones within months selling on Amazon from Chinese companies. Americans need to stand up and put an end to this nonsense. DONT buy their crappy knock off products, and lets all work on stopping companies hiring them to build our stuff. I wonder, if forced, could the Chinese actually INVENT something of their own? Currently their batting average is garbage.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)