Huawei P9, P9 Lite to double SA marketshare?

Huawei has revealed some interesting numbers for its P9 and P9 Plus, announcing that the phones have sold 2.6-million units globally in its first six weeks.

The Chinese manufacturer said this equated to a 130% increase over the P8 for the same period of time.

The company added that its global marketshare was sitting at 8.5%, “supported by aggressive growth in the South African market”.

Charlene Munilal, the general manager for Huawei’s Consumer Business Group in South Africa, said that sales of both the flagship and P9 Lite were ahead of expectations.

Read more: Huawei P9 trio launched in SA, but more devices to come?

“P9 and P9 Lite device sales in South Africa have exceeded even our bullish expectations. South African consumers are smart buyers and recognise the combination of features, style, and the Leica co-engineered camera, making the P9 the best smartphone buy available,” Munilal said in a statement.

“During 2015 we doubled our market share in South Africa by bringing the consumer desired devices, with the best features, to market, and we’re on track to do the same again in 2016.”

At the Huawei P9’s South African launch earlier this month, Munilal said its local marketshare was sitting at 34% in the high-end segment. It defined the high-end as devices priced at US$300 and above.

Munilal added that the Huawei P8 Lite had also passed the 300 000 units sold mark in the country.

Huawei also revealed its global smartphone shipment statistics for Q1 2016, saying it shipped 28.3 million units around the world. This equated to a 64% year-on-year increase, the manufacturer explained.