HUAWEI OVERTAKES APPLE

CHINA'S  Huewei technologies overtook  Apple  to become the world's  second biggest smartphone  seller in the  June quarter, data from market research firm showed, as it gained ground in Europe and expanded its lead back home.

The estimated rise  in market shares comes as a  slowdown in  the world's biggest  smartphone market, China, eased.

Huawei has also managed   to get ahead of rivals by selling more  feature-packed  phones, analysts said.

'' Huawei is shifting to more  value-added  models, by launching new Flagship smartphones  with  the latest features. Huawei's  P20 Pro is the first flagship  smartphone model to be equipped  with triple camera, beating competitors to the market ,''    IHS    Markit  analyst   Gerrit  Schneeman said in a note.

Huawei on Tuesday said overall it had raked in  15-percent  higher revenue in the first six months of 2018, steady at levels seen a year ago.

According to IHS and Strategy  Analytics, Huawei grabbed more than 15  percent of the global smartphone  market  over  April-June , overtaking Apple's roughly  12  percent  and just behind Samsung Electrnics  Co Ltd's  nearly  20  percent share.
\
Data  from Canalys , which estimates  industrywide smartphone shipments in China topped   100 million  in the second quarter from 91 million in the first , shows Huawei grew its share of the home market by 6 percentage points on year to a record 27 percent.

The Chinese market is key for Huawei as it has come under fire from the  United States , Australia and other nations over concerns it could facilitate Chinese government spying.

The company has been virtually shut out from the  United States , with no major carriers selling its smartphones.

Huawei has denied it facilitates spying and has said it is  a  private company not under Chinese government  control and not subject to Chinese  security laws overseas. [Agencies].