On September 12th (September 13th at 2:00 am Japan time), Apple will announce a new iPhone product. Along with ``what kind of new product'', comparison with the latest product of Samsung Electronics, which has been competing in the market every year as the biggest rival, will also be done.
However, from a medium- to long-term perspective, Apple's enemy may not be Samsung Electronics, but Huawei, a Chinese smartphone maker. Why do I expect that? I would like to explain the reasons below.
Overtakes the iPhone to become the second largest in the world
According to the April-June smartphone sales announced by research firm IDC, Huawei sold 54.2 million units in the global market . It surpassed the iPhone's 41.3 million units and jumped to the second place in the world (first place was Samsung Electronics with 71.5 million units). Although Huawei had just released its main model, the P20 series, sales increased by 41% year-on-year.
Samsung Electronics, Huawei, and OPPO and Xiaomi, which come under them, account for the majority of shipments of low-priced models, so there are aspects that cannot be estimated only by the number of units. But it's still worth noting because Huawei has something that other manufacturers don't.
Amidst the trade friction between the United States and China, there is a risk of being targeted by President Trump, but they have a business foundation that allows them to fight without relying on the American market. Huawei is thought by general consumers to be a manufacturer of electronic equipment terminals such as smartphones, but in reality it started as a supplier of communication equipment, and even now it is a manufacturer of mobile phone base stations and other mobile phone operators. Business is mainstream.
Because they have not announced the revenue for each business, there is no certain figure as to the ratio between the infrastructure business and the terminal business, but looking at their annual business report, there is room for future growth. You can see the growth potential to become a presence that can compete with Apple in the future.
