Xiaomi and Oppo stars, Huawei wanes

The European smartphone market slowed significantly in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic, but despite the decline, there have been some notable top performers across the continent. According to a report from Counterpoint, Xiaomi and Oppo took full advantage of Samsung’s slowdown and Huawei’s ongoing fighting.

All in all, 2020 was a bleak year for the industry. Deliveries in Europe were down 14% year over year in 2020 due to protracted lockdowns and suppressed economic activity.

Samsung: Deliveries are falling, market share is growing

At the forefront of the market, Samsung and Apple managed to keep the wobble, but neither of them failed to take full advantage of Huawei’s recession. The companies increased their combined market share in the region to 54%.

Based on the global market results, Samsung ended 2020 as Europe’s largest smartphone manufacturer, although 12% fewer devices were shipped than a year earlier. Counterpoint owed this slowed growth to poor sales performance of the Galaxy S20 series and the launch of Apple’s first 5G lineup. Samsung has nevertheless expanded its market share by one percentage point to 32%.

Apple, which ended the final quarter of 2020 and led Samsung in shipments, picked second place for the entire year. Annual growth only declined 1% thanks to the performance of the iPhone 12 line.

Xiaomi, Oppo move into the void of Huawei

The real winner in 2020 was Xiaomi. Xiaomi benefits from the fall of Huawei and is now the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the region. The quota for smartphones for 2019 has almost doubled, with Counterpoint generating strong sales in Spain and Italy. Due to its performance, Huawei slipped back to fourth place. Huawei shipments were down 43% year-over-year, increasing their market share from 19% in 2019 to 12% in 2020.

Poll is loading

After all, a BBK Electronics trio supports the European smartphone market. Oppo remains the largest BBK brand in Europe. Shipments increased 82% in 2020 compared to 2019, which increased the market share to 4% in 2020.

Realme in seventh place was an outstanding artist. In 2020 there was an increase in shipments with an almost 11-fold increase compared to 2019 – the starting year in the region. Only 600,000 fewer units were shipped than OnePlus, which only grew 5% over the course of 2020. It seems that the company’s strict European rollout plan is paying off.

What about 2021?

Realme has a good chance of expanding its market share this year. The company will launch possibly the cheapest Snapdragon 888 phone with the Realme GT. OnePlus will try to fend off its sibling brand with the OnePlus 9 series as well.

Despite the 2020 troubles, the outlook for Samsung looks better this year. According to reports, the Galaxy S21 series is doing better in Korea than its predecessor. Apple will likely not launch the iPhone 12 successor until later this year.

As for Huawei, its position is unlikely to improve, especially as its competitors continue to flood the market at all prices. But which company do you think will benefit the most from Huawei’s troubles? Make sure you vote in the poll above!