That is 25 million more than Xiaomi is expected to sell this year. Samsung and Apple are the only providers that have sold more than 100 million smartphones this year, though neither could reach Huawei’s sales in China.
Huawei completely changed its focus in 2015, launching a range of high-quality, all-metal devices including the G8, Mate S, Mate 8, and P8. In China, the firm aggressively pushed the smartphones to compete with Xiaomi’s flash sales, while growing its brand in regions like Russia, India, and Europe.
The company also partnered with Google to launch the Nexus 6P, regarded by many as the best Nexus device ever launched.
In the wearables market, the Huawei Watch showed that the company can add style to more than just smartphones.
Next year should be an even bigger year for Huawei however, with rumors it will launch the Honor brand or the Mate 8 at CES 2016 in January. Tackling the U.S. market will be much harder than winning at home, though the Nexus 6P praise should give it a boost of confidence. There are rumors Google and Huawei have extended the Nexus partnership to 2016 as well, giving Huawei another chance to impress.
In late 2013, Huawei announced that it would leave the U.S. market, after accusations of spying and sending information to the Chinese government. Those accusations were never confirmed, but two years later the Chinese firm apparently wants to take another crack at the market.
