Washington (AFP)

Huawei has retained its No. 2 position in the smartphone industry in the second quarter of 2019, after Samsung and Apple, despite the US sanctions imposed on the Chinese technology giant, according to analysts' reports released Wednesday.

The group has managed to boost sales in a context of overall market slump, and continues to hobble the South Korean leader in the sector.

Global smartphone sales fell 2.6 percent to 341 million units between April and June, but could stabilize after several months of decline, according to analyst firm Strategy Analytics.

Samsung increased its market share to 22%, thanks to a 7% increase in device sales. Growth mainly concerned input and mid-range models. Huawei accounts for 17% of the market, and Apple 11%.

"Huawei surprised everyone with an annual growth of 8% in smartphone sales," said Neil Mawston, director of Strategy Analytics.

"In particular, they jumped into the domestic market this quarter, looking to offset regulatory uncertainties in other regions, such as North America and Europe," he added.

Apple also saw its sales rise 8%, according to estimates of this firm. The California firm does not disclose the number of units sold, but smartphones have earned him nearly 26 billion dollars from April to June, 12% less than last year.

The group "stabilizes in China thanks to price adjustments and a dynamic exchange program, but other markets like India or Europe react less well to the high prices of the iPhone," commented Woody Oh. Strategy Analytics.

Counterpoint Research has reached similar conclusions, with Samsung, Huawei and Apple leading the way in a globally declining market in terms of units sold.

"The US ban (on the sale of technology to Huawei, ed) has not translated into a decline in sales this quarter, but it will happen," said Tarun Pathak, analyst at Counterpoint.

"In the coming months, it is likely that Huawei is enterprising in its domestic market, but this will not be enough to offset the decline internationally and this will precipitate the decline of the global smartphone market in 2019", he commented.

Studies show that Chinese manufacturers Xiaomi and Oppo retain fourth and fifth places, mainly because of their sales in their country.

According to Counterpoint, the five Chinese leaders (with Vivo and Realme in addition) now hold 42% of the total market, a record.

© 2019 AFP