Apple and Huawei close the gap on Samsung

Samsung has long been the world leader in mobile phone sales, but Apple and Huawei have chipped away at its dominance.

Samsung’s phone sales have fallen by six million units on this time last year, while Apple and Huawei have increased theirs by 11% and 7% respectively.

This means that Huawei has overtaken Microsoft for third place in the list. It’s been a tough year for Microsoft who has seen its shipments almost halved in the year.

These metrics come courtesy of Strategy Analytics. They indicate that Samsung still holds a sizeable share of the smartphone market at 20.5%.

Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi holds fifth place on the list and remains a major player in the Chinese market. However, its place on the list isn’t secure as it faces intense competition in its home market, while its international presence is slowing.

Other mobile phone manufacturers account for slightly over 50% of phone shipments in the year.