Prior to this back in 2015, Samsung was leading the Chinese market with a market share of 20%, but it is clear that the competition from Chinese OEMs has put a ton of pressure on the company, with Huawei taking the lead. According to Lee Byung-tae, a professor at KAIST College of Business, he seems to believe that Samsung and other companies like LG are fighting an uphill battle in China.
Lee was quoted as saying, “It seems almost impossible for Samsung to upend the Chinese smartphone market reorganized by local firms with quality products and affordable prices. Since successful Chinese firms are expanding their presence in budget smartphone markets, including India, Samsung and LG’s global presence will shrink further unless they secure competitiveness against Chinese firms.”
We’re not sure if Samsung will be able to rebound from this, but the company is not alone. Earlier this year it was reported that Apple’s iPhone market share in China was also on the decline.