Huawei's Spot Is Threatened In EU Market, Rival Xiaomi Grows By 73%

Chinese mobile giant Huawei is still reigning in the European market, as the smartphone brand remains in second place in terms of the volume of smartphone sales in continental Europe. Another Chinese big player, Xiaomi, is topping the list seeing 73 percent growth in sales compared to last year’s numbers.

In an analysis report published by Canalys, Samsung takes the top spot as the highest-selling smartphone brand, which saw annual growth of 26 percent. It's then followed by Huawei, which did not see any growth in sales despite staying in second place.

The brand that saw the biggest growth was Xiaomi which gained 73 percent more sales from last year. The reason for Huawei’s numbers, among others, was the issue the company faced when it received a trade ban by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Europe is in a favorable position and attracts the attention of many Chinese vendors given its channel balance,” said Canalys analyst Mo Jia, in the same report. “Operators and open channels form 47 percent and 50 percent respectively in terms of go-to-market. This has given the potential to scale and healthier margins with mid to high-end products. Another key incentive for Chinese vendors up to their game is the opportunity to take on a weakening Huawei.”

Huawei has taken a big hit ever since it has faced a trade ban from the US government. Trade deals have been reported to be in the works, though experts believe that the Chinese mobile giant, as well as other tech companies coming from China, will continue to face further restrictions when it comes to trade in the coming years.

Huawei, in the middle of all the drama the trade ban has caused, is working on its own mobile operating system called the HarmonyOS. The company previously announced that the OS is currently in the works and a release date is unlikely to be revealed anytime soon.