华为当红，小米退热

    随着其他中国智能手机制造商的杀入，围绕全世界估值最高的初创公司、中国智能手机制造商小米（Xiaomi）的热度开始消散。其中势头最猛的当属华为（Huawei）。

    电信设备巨头华为更为人所知的，是其4G设备而不是智能手机。公司在今天宣布，在推出一批广受好评的中高端智能手机后，上半年公司手持设备业务收入增长87%，达到72亿美元。据集邦科技（TrendForce）统计，第二季度，华为以18.3%的市场份额，继续成为中国智能手机制造商中的领头羊，排在第二和第三位的分别是小米与联想（Lenovo）。

    据IDC统计，第一季度，中国市场国内外品牌中，华为的市场份额排在第三位，仅次于苹果（Apple Inc. ）与三星电子（Samsung Electronics）。IDC尚未公布第二季度的数据。华为在今天表示，根据另外一家研究机构的市场份额数据，其在第二季度的中国市场已经超越了苹果与三星。华为的智能手机销往一百多个国家，在欧洲的销售额增长速度更是创下纪录。

    集邦科技的分析师写道：“华为在海外市场不错的销售记录和与电信运营商稳定的关系，使其成为排在首位的中国智能手机品牌。”分析师预测，华为将成为首家在今年出货量达到一亿台的中国智能手机制造商。

    另外一家中国智能手机制造商也制定了在今年实现出货量一亿台的目标：小米。但毫无疑问，小米在2015年上半年的表现要逊色不少。

    两个月前，一篇博客文章详细介绍了小米Note顶配版主板过热的问题。小米的公关部门一直在努力平息这篇文章带来的影响。小米称只有一位用户出现了上述问题。但即便如此，在这则破坏性的新闻之前，今年早些时候已经有中国竞争对手在抢占小米的市场份额，尽管小米的智能手机售价低至100美元。小米今年上半年的手机出货量仅有3,500万台，而不久之前小米刚刚预测年出货量将达到一亿台。集邦科技估计，小米今年的出货量将增长15%，达到7,000万台——虽是不错的业绩，但根本达不到小米向全世界宣布的业绩爆发。

    华为的增长肯定抢占了小米的销售额，甚至可能给苹果带来压力。在第一季度，苹果在中国仍占有最大的市场份额，但其昨天公布的iPhone手机销售业绩令人失望，因为大中华区不再是iPhone手机的首要市场。但苹果在中国市场的业绩依旧强劲，在北京街头，iPhone手机随处可见。但苹果也面临日益残酷的竞争，华为便是一个强大的中国挑战者。

    今年早些时候，《财富》杂志曾介绍过中国智能手机制造商的崛起，包括华为，因为其在进军新市场，并且赞助了AC米兰等足球队。在美国，华为仅供在线销售的智能手机业务启动，去年，更是进入了国际品牌集团（Interbrand）的全球百大品牌排行榜，排在科罗娜（Corona）和喜力（Heineken）之间。

    中国的智能手机制造商或许最终将取代苹果和三星，成为中国和世界市场中的佼佼者。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    The excitement surrounding the world’s highest-valued startup, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, is starting to dim as the rest of China’s smartphone makers move in. Most aggressively, Huawei.

    The telecom equipment giant better known for 4G equipment than smartphones said today that its handset business revenue increased by 87% in the first half of the year, to $7.2 billion, on a wave of recent well-reviewed, mid-and high-priced smartphones. Huawei retained its top spot leading other Chinese smartphone makers in China with 18.3% market share in the second quarter, according to TrendForce, ahead of No. 2 Xiaomi and No. 3 Lenovo.

    Huawei was third in China market share behind Apple Inc. AAPL -4.74% and Samsung Electronics SSNLF -3.23% in the first quarter among both foreign and domestic brands, according to IDC, which hasn’t released second-quarter figures. Huawei said today it passed Apple and Samsung in China during the second quarter, according to another researcher’s market share figures. Huawei sells smartphones in more than 100 countries and posted some of its strongest sales growth in Europe.

    “Huawei is the No. 1 Chinese smartphone brand because of its decent sales record in the overseas market and stable relations with telecom operators,” wrote TrendForce analysts today, who expected Huawei to become the first Chinese smartphone maker to reach 100 million phone shipments this year.

    There was another Chinese smartphone maker whoplanned to hit 100 million phones shipped this year: Xiaomi.

    It has had a decidedly less glamorous first half of 2015.

    Two months ago Xiaomi’s PR worked hard to contain the fallout from blog stories which detailed chips overheating in the Xiaomi Mi Note Pro. Xiaomi said it was one user who experienced problems. Even so, the damaging news was preceded by Chinese competitors winning market share earlier in the year from Xiaomi, which sells smartphones for as little as $100. Xiaomi shipped only 35 million phones in the first half of the year, after making its 100 million forecast for the year. TrendForce estimates Xiaomi’s shipments to grow by 15% this year to 70 million— respectable, but hardly the breakout year Xiaomi was broadcasting to the world.

    Huawei’s ascent probably ate into some of Xiaomi’s sales and may put pressure on Apple, which led China’s market share rankings in the first quarter but just released disappointing quarterly iPhone sales yesterday as the greater China market fell from being its top market for iPhones. Still, Apple has been on a roll in China, and on the streets of Beijing, the iPhone is ubiquitous. But Apple is facing more competition, and Huawei is one of the formidable Chinese challengers.

    Fortune wrote about the rise of Chinese smartphone makers including Huawei earlier this year, as it expanded into new markets and sponsored soccer teams such as A.C. Milan. In the U.S. it launched a smartphone line sold only online and last year cracked Interbrand’s list of 100 top global brands, ranking between Corona and Heineken.

    The country’s smartphone makers might finally be ready to overtake the China’s top market share—and the world’s— from Apple and Samsung.