Huawei premium smartphone shipments surge, as Apple continues to lead segment in China

Huawei Technologies gained more ground in mainland China’s high-end smartphone segment in the third quarter, narrowing the gap with US rival Apple, which still leads that handset category, the latest data from research firm Canalys showed.

Shenzhen-based Huawei’s domestic shipments of premium-priced smartphones – handsets that cost more than US$600 – surged 34 per cent in the September quarter from a year earlier, resulting in a 33 per cent share, according to a report released by Canalys on Friday.

While Apple saw its iPhone shipments on the mainland decline 5 per cent in the same period, the US tech giant continued to lead domestic premium handset sales with a 52 per cent share.