Xiaomi surpasses Huawei global sales as COVID-19 and Google Services restrictions take their toll

Strategy Analytics latest global sales statistics show that during February, Xiaomi shipped 6.0 million units compared to Huawei's 5.5 million units. While Huawei was in the second position for total sales during 2019, their sales figures slipped during the year as the impact of the trade ban with US companies started to show.

Huawei sales had remained comfortably ahead of Xiaomi until February when the dip matched the timing of wide-scale curfew and travel restrictions in China. We believe this disproportionate drop reflects Huawei's current reliance on the Chinese market.

Huawei's flagship hardware is top-quality, but the lack of Google Mobile Services (e.g. Play Store) makes it difficult for them to compete in many Western markets where consumers rely on Google's services. While Xiaomi sales also dropped, the decrease was proportionally smaller, possibly because of their growth in Europe and popularity with Indian consumers.

Global sales of smartphones in February 2020 dropped by 38% year-on-year as governments impose travel restrictions and consumers reduce spending in the face of income uncertainty.