Chinese consumer electronics giant Huawei said on Tuesday that it had shipped 100m smartphones in 2015.
The company said that the number represented a 3 000% increase over 2010 and came on the back of research and development investment.
“The smartphone landscape is constantly changing as people look for devices that let them extend the boundaries of what’s possible. We look forward to continued growth in 2016 as we expand our product portfolio and partner with some of the world’s top brands to bring the best devices to market,” said Kevin Ho, president of Huawei Consumer Business Group Handset, in a statement.
Long associated with lower priced products, Huawei has ramped up efforts to target a higher-end consumer segment.
It reported a 30% increase in shipping mid- to higher-end smartphones, including 4m P8 and 6,5m Mate 7 devices
But data from International Data Corp (IDC) shows that the smartphone market is cooling.
IDC found that worldwide smartphone shipments will grow by 9,8% in 2015 to a total of 1,43bn units. However, the organisation said that Africa would experience robust growth of 50%.
“With the other regions slowing down, Africa has become very crucial to manufacturers. Africa’s smartphone market is expected to grow, especially the low priced smartphone. However, the key for success in Africa will be to launch the right product at the right price point,” said Joseph Hlongwane, research analyst for IDC Africa, in a recent interview.
IDC data showed that Huawei has a 6,9% market share in South Africa, behind leader Samsung at 56,6%.
The Chinese company is determined to increase its presence in Africa and in 2014 invested 14,2% of revenue, or $6,3bn, in research and development. — Fin24
