The news that Huawei topped China’s smartphone market share rankings for the first time this past quarter, knocking startup Xiaomi out of the top spot, shouldn’t be totally unexpected.

    The privately held Huawei has spent the last two years pumping considerable money into its smartphone operation. Other Chinese competitors using Google’s free Android operating system have also risen in the country to overtake once-dominate Samsung. But Huawei has the advantage of being a telecommunications equipment maker first, as opposed to solely a smartphone maker; that status has brought it deep relationships with wireless companies around the world that offer countless sales channels.

    The market share battles in China make great headlines, but the companies are all facing stagnant market growth now that pretty much everyone in China who wants a smartphone has one. That leaves the companies to fight over consumer who are upgrading their phones, typically more discerning buyers. That may play to Huawei’s advantage—its wide selection of smartphones have received favorable reviews for their modest prices.

    The latest market share estimates aren’t an indictment of Xiaomi, though. The startup, valued at $45 billion, is sticking to its target of selling 80 million smartphones this year. It’s also selling a host of appliances like air purifiers and smart televisions in its bid to create a Xiaomi home ecosystem, a strategy that is too early to write off.

    But in smartphones, the excitement generated by Xiaomi has waned. Fortune said in July Huawei was hot, Xiaomi not. It appears the trend has continued.

    这个消息应该不算出人意料：第三季度，华为首次击败小米，在中国智能手机市场获得最大份额。

    作为私营企业的华为在过去两年中向智能手机业务投入了相当可观的资金。其他使用谷歌的免费安卓操作系统的国内竞争对手也已崛起，并且取代了曾经主导市场的三星。不过，华为首先是一家通信设备制造商，而非纯粹的智能手机厂商，这给它带来了优势；这种身份让华为和全球各地的无线公司建立了深厚关系，进而得到了无数的销售渠道。

    在中国，市场份额之争是重大新闻。但是，由于所有想用智能手机的中国消费者基本上已经人手一部，手机厂商都面临着市场增长陷入停滞的局面。这促使它们对升级型手机用户展开争夺，而这些用户的眼光一般都比较挑剔。这也许有利于华为发挥优势，毕竟华为已经有一批智能手机凭价格适中获得了好评。

    不过，最新市场份额数据也不算小米的噩耗。这家初创型企业价值450亿美元，而且正在稳步实现今年售出8000万部智能手机的目标。同时，小米还推出了一系列家电产品，包括空气净化器和智能电视，目的是打造一个小米家电生态环境。现在就清算这项策略的成败尚为时过早。

    但在智能手机领域，小米引发的热潮已经消退。《财富》杂志今年7月就曾指出，当下炙手可热的是华为，而非小米。现在看来这一趋势还在继续。（财富中文网）

    译者：Charlie

    校对：詹妮