Chinese smartphone makers surge while Apple and Samsung see decline

A report from analysts firm Gartner on smartphone sales for Q1 2017 has been released today, and it reveals that Chinese manufacturers Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo have been able to maintain their strong momentum of growth. In contrast, Samsung and Apple both saw a year-on-year decrease.

According to the report, Huawei (now leading the Chinese market), Oppo, and Vivo together hold 24 percent of the global smartphone market. When you consider that this is a 7 percent increase over Q1 2016, this market share looks even more impressive. In comparison, Samsung's and Apple's shares now sit at 20.7 and 13.7 percent respectively, with both companies seeing a minor drop from the 23.3 and 14.8 percent they held last year.

The high performance of these Chinese OEMs are a result of their innovative features, high quality, and competitive prices, according to Gartner. The prices in particular help the Chinese brands expand in developing markets such as India and South-East Asia.