Samsung led the smartphone market in Central and Eastern Europe in Q2 2017, shipping 4.9 million units, a year-on-year increase of 14%, according to Canalys. This was due to strong demand for Galaxy A and J series products, which have been updated this year, adds the research group.
China-based Huawei retook the number two spot from Apple in Central and Eastern Europe in the second quarter (Q2) of 2017. It shipped 1.8 million smartphones to take a 12% market share, beating Apple by fewer than 50,000 units. Its strength was in low-to-mid-range products, with the P10 Lite becoming its best-seller in the region.
“Huawei slipped behind Apple briefly in Q1 2017,” says Canalys Analyst Ben Stanton. “Apple did an excellent job of upselling its installed base to the iPhone 7 Plus, whereas Huawei suffered the fallout from its extremely aggressive end to 2016. It built a great deal of channel inventory last year as its sales teams chased a 140-million-unit annual global shipment target. But Huawei is back, growing 11% in Q2 2017. Its inventory has now largely cleared and it is firing on all cylinders.”
