While many Chinese smartphone vendors are looking to 2016 for a reprieve from dwindling smartphone demand, Huawei Technologies Co. is ringing in the New Year with some better news.
The company said on Thursday that their 2015 revenue is expected to rise 35.5% over the previous year, significantly higher than a prediction release earlier this year of 20%.
The Shenzhen-based company has seen stronger smartphone sales in the second half of 2015, beating out Xiaomi to become the No. 1 player in China’s smartphone market. Huawei now expects to reach 390 billion yuan ($60 billion USD) in sales for the year, according to acting Chief Executive, Guo Ping.
China’s smartphone market has slowed across-the-board in 2015, causing several vendors to downplay expectations, including Xiaomi who likely missed their low-end sales target of 80 million handsets this year.
This year Huawei made several strategic moves to combat ebbing demand. The company released their most expensive flagship yet, the Huawei Mate S, in an attempt to edge into Apple’s territory. The Mate S, which received praise form critics, has several features that compete directly with the latest iPhone technology, including Force Touch.
2015 saw less first-time smartphone buyers in China, as sales attention turned to consumers looking to upgrade or replace older models. Huawei managed to cater to the country’s low-income smartphone consumers as well as tapping into the disposable income of China’s rising middle class.
Guo Ping also noted that Huawei would “allow room for failure” as they seek to continue their growth streak in 2016. According to figures released by IDC earlier this year, the company’s worldwide shipments grew 61% in the third quarter, exceeding the global average of just 6.8%.