Huawei‘s HiSilicon division, responsible for Kirin chipsets, is showing signs of recovery in the smartphone chipset market. According to Canalys data, the company shipped 8 million Kirin units in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, generating $6 billion in revenue. 

It’s a significant increase compared to previous quarters, but Huawei still lags behind major competitors. Huawei did manage to surpass Google’s chipset shipments and revenue in Q1 2024 though. Google only shipped 2 million of its smartphone SoCs and generated $2 billion in revenue from it.

Samsung and MediaTek are the big giants in the industry with shipments far more than Huawei. Samsung shipped 18 million units for $9 billion, while MediaTek led the pack with 114 million units but only secured $23 billion. 

Qualcomm also sold a whopping 75 million smartphone SoCs and managed to earn $37 billion this quarter. Apple, the leader in chipset revenue, saw a decline in both shipments (49 million units) and revenue ($56 billion) compared to the same period last year.

Despite a modest market share of 2.7% in Q1 2024, Huawei’s resurgence is impacting the market. Apple, particularly, is experiencing pressure on its chipset revenue and shipment momentum. 

The trend is expected to continue with the upcoming launch of Huawei’s Mate 70 series in October and the HarmonyOS Next operating system in September. HarmonyOS, designed in-house by Huawei, will reduce dependence on Google’s Android platform.

All in all, the data shows a gradual comeback for Huawei in the chipset market. However, the company faces an uphill battle to reclaim its previous market share against established players like Samsung, MediaTek, and Apple.

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