The top smartphone brand in China is completely unexpected
Harley Maranan / Android Authority
TL;DR Honor has grabbed the top spot in the Chinese smartphone market.
The brand wasn’t even in the top five a year ago.
Huawei was forced to sell Honor back in November 2020 due to US sanctions, making it an independent brand in the process. Now, over a year after Honor gained independence, the company has reportedly ascended to the top of the smartphone market in China.
A Q1 2022 market share report from Canalys showed that Honor was the number one brand in the country, shipping 15 million units and accounting for 20% of the market. This makes for year-on-year growth of 205%, with Honor only accounting for 5% of the market in Q1 2021. In fact, Honor wasn’t even in the top five back then, landing at a distant sixth place.
It’s a pretty surprising turn of events given that Honor is essentially an all-new brand on paper. However, the firm still shares some DNA with Huawei when looking at a few devices (e.g. the Honor 50 series). So it’s not quite starting from scratch in some ways.
Otherwise, Oppo (18%) and Apple (18%) rounded out the podium in China. Oppo actually declined 34% compared to a year ago while Apple achieved 17% yearly growth. So Apple could theoretically threaten Honor’s top spot if the Cupertino company can maintain momentum and if Honor shipments slow dramatically.
Vivo (16%) and Xiaomi (14%) rounded out the top five. These brands saw yearly declines of 44% and 22% respectively. In other words, Honor and Apple were the only brands in the top five to see yearly growth.
Would you buy an Honor phone? 1246 votes Yes 48 % No 29 % Maybe, it depends on the phone/price 24 %
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6 Best Chinese Smartphones In August 2022
There was a time when the phrase “Made in China” was associated with something priced low and of poor quality. This was also true for smartphones. In the early-2000s, Chinese smartphones were the copy-cats of the iPhone and Nokia. However, everything changes. The Chinese manufacturers have begun making still cheap but already quality products. As you guess, they are very competitive now. Even the formerly-known Chinese Apple, Xiaomi, competes directly to the “original” Apple in the premium segment. So now, when saying Chinese smartphones, we think about a phone that looks stylish, performs well, and comes with many innovations. If you still doubt that this description is true, we recommend you look at these phones that have made a stir since their launch and have almost no equals on the market.
Best Chinese Smartphones
OnePlus 10 Pro
For a long time, OnePlus has been making only premium smartphones. This brand was associated with flagship smartphones. However, now, there is the Nord series, which includes low-end and mid-range models. But to retain its name, the company still makes flagships. In this sense, the OnePlus 10 Pro represents what the company is capable of at the moment.
The OnePlus 10 Pro was one of the first models to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. The highest version sports 12 GB of RAM with 256 GB of storage.
On the front, we have a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with quad HD+ resolution. Honestly, the screen is one of the selling points of this device. It supports an LTPO 2.0 panel, which provides a smarter adaptive refresh rate. So you can adjust it from 1 Hz to 120 Hz. Apart from this, the screen has 500 nits and 1000 nits of brightness for more accurate colors across multiple brightness levels.
On the back, the handset carries a triple camera setup, which includes a main 48 MP Sony IMX 789 sensor, and 50 MP ultrawide Samsung JN1 sensor, and an 8 MP telephoto camera. Of course, the camera supports Hasselblad features. The front-facing camera has a 32 MP resolution.
In terms of battery and endurance, this smartphone from a well-known Chinese smartphone maker has a 5000mAh battery, which supports 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. The phone runs OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12.
The OnePlus 10 Pro starts at $899 in the United States and €899 in Europe.
Xiaomi Mix 4
At its launch, among all Chinese smartphones and not-only, the Xiaomi MIX 4 was considered to be the most innovative smartphone. The reason was that our protagonist was the first smartphone in Xiaomi’s history to come with an under-screen camera and the world’s first to come with a Snapdragon 888 Plus chip.
The screen has always been the biggest highlight of Xiaomi MIX series models. The Xiaomi MIX 4 is no exception. It sports a curved 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 10-bit TrueColor. Apart from this, the screen boasts of a Full HD+ resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and a 480Hz touch-sampling rate. It’s protected with the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus coating.
Under this beautiful screen, we can find a 20MP selfie camera. Due to innovative technologies, the camera is not visible to the naked eye.
Besides the high-end chip mentioned above, the phone has up to 12 GB of RAM and 512GB of native storage. The MIX 4 also sports a heat dissipation structure with a combined surface area of 11588mm² to minimize overheating.
What Else
Another selling point of this device is attributed to the 4,500 mAh battery, which supports 120W charging. In Boost mode, the battery will be fully charged in 15 minutes.
We’d like to mention that this smartphone features an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) that is the advanced version of Bluetooth technology. It allows for precise positioning data and smart device controls. The body of the device is made of ceramics.
There are too many selling points, and we don’t know which one to point out and which to ignore. However, this one should be on the list for sure. The handset sports stereo speakers tuned by Harman / Kardon.
MIUI has always been one of the world’s most popular systems. In this sense, MIUI 12.5 got many praises.
The camera module includes a 1/1.33-inch 108 MP ISOCELL HMX main sensor with Optical Image Stabilization. In its turn, the sensor is accompanied b an 8 MP periscope module (OIS, 5x Optical Zoom, 120mm equivalent focal length) and a 13 MP ultrawide camera.
The device starts at 4,999 yuan ($770).
Realme GT 2 Pro
When this handset was out, many thought it was a true flagship killer. Looking at its specs list, it was difficult not to agree with the advocates of such an opinion.
The Realme GT 2 Pro sports a 6.7-inch 2K Samsung AMOLED LTPO 2.0 display with support for a 120Hz variable refresh rate. Besides, it comes with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus protection and supports a 1000Hz touch sampling rate.
Like many other Chinese smartphones from this category, the phone hosts the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
We’d also like to mention that the phone supports the new GT Mode 3.0. The latter brings GT mode desktop features and AI frame tech 2.0 as well as an overall reduction in power consumption.
The camera on the back includes two 50MP sensors. One of them is a primary sensor, while the second one has a 150-degree ultra-wide view. The third sensor supports a 40x zoom.
The rest of the noteworthy features include stereo speakers, NFC, and a 5,000 mAh battery with 65W fast wired charging.
The Realme GT 2 Pro retails from 3,699 yuan ($546).
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Xiaomi 12S Ultra
The first thing that comes to our mind when talking about this handset is its camera. It’s a real masterpiece and a good gift or powerful weapon for mobile photographers.
This is the world’s first smartphone to come with Sony’s 50.3 MP 23 mm wide-angle camera, the Sony IMX989 sensor with 1-inch size. Thus, we are dealing with the largest sensor in the world. It brings the largest individual pixels at 3.2 µm with the 4-in-1 binned 12.5 MP mode. Apart from this, the handset also has a 48 MP Sony IMX586 1/2.0-inch sensor with autofocus and macro support. The third camera is a telephoto lens with 120 mm f/4.1 periscope abilities. It captures 12 MP shots with pixel binning.
Due to Leica tuning, the camera of this phone solves the pain points of mobile cameras such as flare, chromatic aberration, and ghosting.
Screen and Hardware
If we talk about the camera, it will take ages. So let’s switch to other noteworthy features as well. For instance, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra has a 6.73-inch E5 Super AMOLED panel with 3,200 x 1,400 pixels of resolution with AdaptiveSync Pro support. Plus, it supports a variable refresh rate from 1 Hz to 120 Hz.
Under the hood, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra houses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC with up to 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. The phone also comes with an in-house made Xiaomi Surge P1 charging chip that protects the battery from overcharging and a Xiaomi Surge G1 that manages the battery use for further endurance. The battery has a 4,860 mAh capacity and supports 67 W wired charging and 50 W wireless charging.
The stereo speakers of this device have a Harman Kardon running with Dolby Atmos support. The device also has IP68 water and dust resistance and comes with MIUI 12 on top of Android 12.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra starts at 5,999 yuan ($895).
Huawei P50 Pro
This is another camera-centric flagship coming our way from the most-popular Chinese smartphone maker.
The Huawei P50 Pro features a 6.6-inch OLED panel with a 2,700 x 1,225 pixels resolution. Unlike the standard version, the display is slightly curved. It also comes with HDR, 300 touch sampling rate, and a 120 Hz refresh rate.
The handset is available in two chip variants – Snapdragon 888 4G and Kirin 9000. The maximum memory capacity is 12GB, while the storage capacity might reach 256 GB. However, there is a microSD card slot for memory expansion, and the phone runs HarmonyOS 2.0 straight out of the box.
In terms of camera, the Huawei P50 Pro sports a 40 MP Black / White camera. The latter has a 26 mm lens and an f/1.6 aperture. There’s also a 13 MP ultrawide angle camera with 13mm and f/2.2 aperture.
One of the highlights is the XD Fusion Pro which can double the amount of gathered light compared to the Huawei P40 Pro and increases dynamic range by 28%.
This phone also has a 4,360 mAh battery that supports 66 W wired charging over the USB-C port and a 50 W wireless charging. It features stereo speakers and has an IP68 certification.
The phone starts at 6,000 yuan ($930).
ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
The last phone we’d like to drive your attention to is the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra. It has a very good reputation among Chinese smartphones. It’s known for its under-screen camera, which uses the third generation of this technology.
The ZTE Axon 40 Ultra uses a 1-drive 1-pixel circuit design. Simply put, it improves the pixel density of the camera area and the pixel drive circuit without reducing the pixel density of the camera area. In simpler words, when not used, the camera under the screen won’t be visible. But when used, it will get as much light as necessary. That’s why it’s considered the most perfect under-screen camera solution.
Generally talking, the screen of this handset is the biggest highlight (with the in-screen camera, of course). It has a 6.78-inch AMOLED full screen with a 2480 x 1116 resolution. The display also supports a 120Hz high refresh rate. 360Hz touch sampling rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 1.07 billion colors, and 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming.
Inside, the phone hosts the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 flagship SoC, LPDDR5 memory, and UFS 3.1 flash storage.
The 5000 mAh battery supports 80W super-fast charging and is compatible with QC and PD protocols.
The main camera on the back is completely upgraded as well. It uses three 64 -megapixel main cameras – IMX787 sensors. Their photosensitive unit reaches 1/1.73 inches, while the single-pixel size is 0.8μm.
The phone starts at 4,998 yuan ($743).
Inspired from PhoneArena
TOP 10 Chinese Smartphone Companies Going Global in 2020
Technology industries experienced great reshuffling in 2020 as the pandemic crippled the global economy. While players come and go in the fast-paced and ever-changing smartphone industry, these 10 Chinese smartphone companies, young and evergreen, stood out with great results amid crisis and uncertainties.
We have compiled a list of the top 10 Chinese smartphone companies that have gained significant influence and created value overseas. From 5G to new phone launches and innovative gears, these businesses have impressed with their solid technologies and growing global presence.
(Please note that the 10 smartphone companies are listed in alphabetical order.)
Honor
Honor was founded in 2013 by Huawei as an attempt to enter the low-mid range smartphone market, which had been taken over by Xiaomi . Its cost-effective smartphone lines mainly target young people, and with more than 70 million annual smartphone shipments, Honor is both a popular brand within China and on the global market, where it competes with Xiaomi , Oppo and vivo. Honor’s business accounted for 26% of both Huawei’s 55.8 million total smartphone shipments in the second quarter this year and 34.2 million in the third quarter.
However, the recent US bans, generating a supply shortage for Huawei, forced Honor’s parent company to sell it out in November so as to free it from punitive measures and mitigate Huawei’s own chipset shortages.
Huawei’s CEO Zhengfei Ren encouraged Honor to become the most competitive rival of the business he leads, and connect with other advanced tech enterprises around the world to thrive independently.
Huawei
2020 has been a bumpy year for Huawei as US accusations ramped up hostility against the Chinese tech giant in the West. The US imposed strict sanctions in September, banning companies that use American technology to supply semiconductors to Huawei.
Although Huawei stockpiled inventories from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), which supplied for the company’s Kirin 9000 chipsets, the tech giant still faced serious challenges which have jeopardized its shipment capacities. Grappling with antagonism and supply shortages, Huawei sold out its budget Honor brand in November.
In addition, following US sanctions and ungrounded accusations about Huawei’s ties with the Chinese government and its endangerment of national security, several countries such as UK and Brazil have banned installations of Huawei 5G equipment.
And yet Huawei has put up a good fight, bagging victories in sales and innovations. During the pandemic, the company overtook Samsung to become the world’s biggest smartphone seller, while its premium flagship Huawei Mate 40 series smartphones debuted in October. The lineup comes with a Kirin 9000 processor, which Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s Customer Business, claimed to be the most powerful 5nm 5G processor in the world.
Huawei’s Harmony OS beta became available to users and developers in December after Google stopped supporting the business, no longer sending updates to Huawei smartphones.
Lenovo
Chinese tech company Lenovo, best known for its computers, launched its high-end gaming line Legion Pro in July this year and its Lemon series Lenovo K12 and K12 pro in December. The mid-range smartphones K12 and K12 pro are intended to attract users with their affordability, competing with the likes of Xiaomi , vivo and OPPO. They further show the behemoth’s determination to revive its smartphone business.
Lenovo entered the smartphone market in 2012, and as of 2014 was the largest vendor of smartphones in mainland China. By 2017, the company was selling only 1.79 million units in the country, with a mere 0.4% market share.
While the company’s smartphone business may not be as eye-grabbing, Lenovo maintained its title as the world’s largest personal computer vendor as of October 2020, with quarterly shipments rising to more than 18 million units for the first time ever, according to Gartner data.
OnePlus
In 2020, OnePlus launched three lines – the OnePlus 8 series including OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8, Pro, as well as a mid-range OnePlus Nord – only available in Europe, India, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Plus, it released its latest flagship, the OnePlus 8T.
The 7-year-old OnePlus has taken the lead the global smartphone market. In India, OnePlus is surpassing Apple and Samsung and now tops the country’s premium smartphone sector, according to Counterpoint Research data. It also comes in third in the premium phone market in western Europe. Domestically, the OnePlus 8 reached 100 million yuan in sales in just one minute after its launch in April, and remained the most popular phone on throughout October among 5G Android devices in the 5,000 to 5,999 yuan price range.
OPPO
In addition to its domestic presence, OPPO has been busy expanding its footprint in Europe. OPPO came in fifth in the Western European market in Q3 2020, delivering the strongest growth in the region, with a 566.2% year-over-year increase.
The brand also gained ground in innovation. In its annual technology convention – named OPPO INNO DAYand themed “Leap into the Future” – three concept products made their first appearances, including the OPPO X 2021 rollable handset, the OPPO AR Glass 2021 and the OPPO CybeReal AR application.
OnePlus’ Pete Lau joined the enterprise in September as senior vice president and chief product experience officer of Guangdong Oujia Holdings Co., Ltd., OPPO, OnePlus and realme’s co-investor, while also retaining his role as CEO of OnePlus.
realme
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Beijing, smartphone manufacturer realme is an offshoot of smartphone brand Oppo. The brand uses “Dare to Leap” as its slogan and pivots toward young people. realme recorded 14.8 million quarterly shipments in Q3 2020, surpassing analysts’ expectations to become the world’s fastest-growing brand in Q3 with 132% quarterly growth. realme was also the fastest brand to reach the 50 million smartphone sales milestone in only nine months, according to Counterpoint’s Q3 2020 smartphone shipment report.
realme’s success and strong momentum could not have materialized without the endorsement of young users across the world, which make up the bulk of its customer base.
In 2020, the young smartphone brand released realme X50 Pro 5G, realme 5i, realme 6 and 6i, realme C3, among other products.
TECNO
TECNO Mobile is a premium smartphone brand from TRANSSION Holdings. The brand has a presence in more than 60 countries across the globe with its innovation, technological and artistic progression as well as a diversified product portfolio featuring smartphones and smart AIoT products covered.
TECNO unlocks the best of contemporary technologies in artistic designs, showcasing its mastery of serving the youth-generation consumers who are “young at heart”, and inspiring them to never stop pursuing excellence.
On Sept. 3rd, TECNO held a first-time AR online launch, bringing its camera phone TECNO CAMON 16 Premier, complete with a flagship-level 64MP ultra quad and a pioneering 48MP dual front camera, to the market. In November, TECNO launched the TECNO Pova phone globally.
Vivo
The pandemic did not stop smartphone maker vivo from working its way up in the global smartphone stage. Its Nex 3S 5G smartphone made a first appearance on March 10th. Nine months later, on Dec. 15, the company launched its Y30 Standard Edition smartphone and is now set to announce its X60 series on Dec. 29. The X60 will be both the first phone to feature Samsung’s newest 5nm chipset and to debut with OriginOS, vivo’s own in-house operating system.
The brand has expanded its fanbase to Europe by making its entry into six European countries – France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom – and announced a partnership with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the next two championships.
At its 2020 Developer Conference in November, vivo revealed its new Android operating system OriginOS.
While this year’s deep economic slump has landed most smartphone companies into hot waters, Xiaomi remains the only smartphone business that saw shipments increase among top manufacturers in the Chinese market. The company ranked as the world’s third-largest smartphone brand in the third quarter, surpassing Apple for the first time, according to data compiled by IDC.
Europe has become Xiaomi ’s main focal point, with Jun Lei, the company’s CEO, saying in November that Xiaomi aims to be the top smartphone brand in Europe in the near future.
Xiaomi ’s Q3 financial report also showcased strong growth momentum. In Q3 2020, the tech company ranked among the top three in Western Europe for the first time, and retained the top spot in smartphone shipments in Spain for the third consecutive quarter, according to Canalys. Redmi accounted for three of the world’s top 10 best-selling smartphones in the third quarter of 2020.
During this year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival in China, Xiaomi ranked first in sales among Android smartphones on and
ZTE
ZTE showcased a strong and steady growth momentum in 2020. Its revenue was 26.9 billion yuan in the third quarter, an increase of 37.2% year-on-year, according to its financial results. The company’s net profit stood at 860 million yuan.
5G is one of ZTE’s core businesses, driving the company’s development. The company is one of the major players in 5G infrastructure development in China, the world’s largest market for such technology.
As of the end of September, ZTE had signed 55 5G commercial contracts worldwide and collaborated with more than 90 providers globally to implement 5G services. It had built more than 500 industry partnerships, too.
As far as consumer business is concerned, ZTE launched its ZTE Axon 20 5G smartphone, the first commercially-available smartphone with an in-display selfie camera.
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