With juggernauts like Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi seemingly stagnating in the smartphone market in 2016, Chinese phonemaker Huawei continues its growth as the company announced record shipments of its P9 and P9 Plus flagship handsets.
Unveiled back in April, the P9 received plenty of praise from Digital Trends for its strong looks, smooth software, and excellent implementation of its dual-lens camera setup. Even with the strides Huawei made toward the U.S. market, the P9 and its larger sibling were not available to purchase in the West, though that did not stop the company from shipping over 10 million units worldwide. This marks the first time the company shipped at least 10 million units of any of its flagship smartphones.
The high volume helped Huawei ship over 33 million smartphones during Q3 2016, as well as to see increases in both growth rate outside of China and market share in more than a few countries. More specifically, the company made “substantial breakthroughs” in markets like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, though it did not say what it meant by the phrasing.
As for what the future might have in store, Huawei expects to sell 12 million P9 and P9 Plus units during their life cycles by the time their successors are announced in 2017.
The good news did not stop there, however, as Huawei’s senior vice president reportedly confirmed the company surpassed its goal of 140 million smartphone shipments for 2016, reports GizmoChina. It was rumored that Huawei set 100 million as its shipment goal for 2016, with the goal reportedly reached back in October. As such, the company revised the number to 140 million, which seems to have also been topped with a few days left to go in 2016.
If true, Huawei is set to have a promising 2017, furthered by its continued growth during a period of seeming stagnation in the worldwide smartphone market.
