Winners and Losers: Huawei crowned smartphone king, while Apple delivers bad news

It’s been a big year for smartphones, with foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip offering a variation of the usual formula, and 5G becoming a major talking point across the globe. 

We’ve also seen some fantastic phones from the likes of Samsung, OnePlus and Motorola, and with the year not even halfway through yet there’s likely lots more to come. 

This week, we found out that the tussle for the smartphone crown took a massive turn, while one of the most exciting phone launches of the year has been delayed. Keep reading on to find out more. 

Related: Best Phones

Winner: Huawei is crowned the smartphone king

It’s been a topsy-turvy few years for smartphone-manufacturer Huawei, with Google recently pulling Play Store support from the company’s handsets. That seemingly hasn’t been as big of a setback as many had thought though, with Huawei reportedly taking over Samsung as world’s biggest smartphone vendor for the very first time. 

According to analyst firm Canalys, Huawei sold more smartphones worldwide than any other company during the last quarter (April to June). Samsung has long reigned supreme in this area, but the company’s sales fell by 30% year-on-year, which was likely down to Covid-19 disruptions. 

Huawei actually saw a decline in smartphone sales year-on-year too, but only by 5% since China remains Huawei’s largest market by a significant margin.

This all means that Huawei’s time in the top spot may be short lived, as Samsung will surely bounce back once consumer behaviour returns to normal. But take nothing away from Huawei, which has endured a difficult couple of years and yet somehow still managed to come out on top.

Related: Best Android Phones

 

Loser: Apple delays the iPhone 12

Apple has confirmed its next smartphone (expected to be the iPhone 12) has been delayed. While the company didn’t confirm the reasoning for this, it’s widely assumed to be due to production disruptions caused by Covid-19. 

But while Apple’s CFO Luca Maestri revealed the launch date will be pushed beyond the typical September window, the iPhone 12 is planned to launch just “a few weeks later”. This should alleviate concerns of Apple’s next flagship being delayed to 2021, although nothing is guaranteed in these strange times. 

The upcoming iPhone 12 is expected to feature 5G connectivity and a new design that will see the notch squeezed down to a smaller size. It’s also been rumoured that there will be four different models of the new iPhone, ranging from a smallish 5.4-inch model with a dual-lens camera, to a huge 6.7-inch handset featuring a triple-lens camera with 3D sensing.