Case Study: China’s “Furious Five” Smartphones: Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo/Vivo and Lenovo -Strategies and Origins

When IDC released China’s smartphone market statistics for the first and second quarters in 2017 (see Exhibit 1), the two dominant powers in the global market – Samsung and Apple – had lost their leading positions. Shrinking market shares in both quarters had left them with less than 12% combined. Out in front were a number of contenders, all domestic companies, including established brands such as Huawei, as well as several unfamiliar names. Even with the release of the flagship Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (August 23rd, 2017 in New York and September 13th, 2017 in China) and the iPhone 8 (September 12th, 2017), critics doubted they could take back market shares in China given the intense competition