Samsung’s smartphone share in Europe surges in Q2

Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co.’s smartphone shipments to Europe jumped in the second quarter (Q2) from a year earlier, benefiting from Huawei’s struggle with the US trade ban, a report showed on Sunday.

Samsung’s smartphone exports to Central and Eastern Europe accounted for 40 percent of the market in the April-June period, up from 33 percent a year earlier, according to the market researcher Counterpoint Research.

Its share was twice that of Huawei of China’s 20 percent, Yonhap news agency reported.

The South Korean tech firm posted the strong performance despite flattening smartphone demand in the region, led by solid sales of its mid-range Galaxy A-series.

“Samsung benefited from the drop in Huawei’s volumes after the US’ trade ban.

“Excellent traction for its refreshed A-series also helped the company’s performance in the region,” Counterpoint Research said in the report.

Samsung was able to attract European consumers with its affordable and powerful A-series, which took up nearly 70 percent of its smartphone shipments in the region, the research firm said.