News

Samsung is still the top smartphone vendor in the world

Published

August 4, 2017

Daniel Morial

The numbers are out! The International Data Corporation (IDC) published their preliminary results for the second quarter of 2017, and it seems like Chinese smartphone brands are inching closer to the top.

Still at the number one spot is Samsung with a 23.3 percent market share and 79.8 million shipments. Playing a major role in the success are the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The victory of the South Korean company is not solely dependent on their flagships, as the mid-range Galaxy A and budget Galaxy J series are also doing well for other markets. With the Galaxy Note 8 announcement later this month, Samsung could look forward to greater numbers for the third quarter.

Samsung Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy S8

Second in line is Apple with a 12 percent market share and 41 million shipments. While the Cupertino company has yet to unveil its new smartphone, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are doing well in the high-end market. Compared to last year, the new iPhones are doing better than the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but with just a marginal growth of 1.5 percent year-over-year.

Not far behind is Huawei with a 11.3 percent market share and shipment posting at 38.5 million. Huawei is currently the top Chinese smartphone brand worldwide with a growing grasp of the European market. With a year-over-year change of a positive 19.6 percent, Huawei is on its way to overthrow Apple’s place. Driving the sales of the company is its flagship P10 series, Mate 9 phablet, and the more affordable Honor series.

Huawei P10

OPPO remains in the fourth position with a 8.1 percent market share and 27.8 million shipments. Just like with Huawei, OPPO has gained a positive 22.4 percent growth as it expands outside of China. OPPO is already doing well in Southeast Asia thanks to its marketing stand on camera performance — with a big focus on selfies.

Back in the top five is Xiaomi with a modest 6.2 percent market share and 21.2 million shipments. Compared to the same period last year, Xiaomi has the biggest growth among smartphone brands with a 58.9 percent year-over-year change. Even in China, the company made a big jump due to their bang-for-buck devices. It shouldn’t be a surprise; we all know that Xiaomi offers the best hardware for every price segment.

While these five brands enjoy growth, overall smartphone shipments declined by 1.3 percent compared to the same quarter of 2016 and also down by 0.8 percent from the first quarter of this year. Have people started to crawl away from smartphones? Well, that’s highly unlikely, unlike the descending trend of consumer tablets.

[irp posts=”17020″ name=”Chinese phone brands are (unsurprisingly) taking over Asia”]

Related Topics:Apple Huawei OPPO Samsung Xiaomi

News

Apple reportedly gives up on the Vision Pro

But Apple will continue to sell the current model.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

When they unveiled the Vision Pro in 2023, Apple touted the wearable as the next big thing after the iPhone. Now, almost three years removed from the launch, the Vision Pro hasn’t really taken over the coveted spot occupied by the iPhone. Apple, according to a report, is allegedly canning the short-lived wearable.

According to MacRumors, Apple has reportedly given up on making the Vision Pro a thing. The team handling the wearable has supposedly been subsumed by other teams within Apple.

If true, the wearable’s end is unfortunate but not surprising. Despite being out for years, the Vision Pro has sold only a little more than half a million units with numerous returns from customers. Most recently, Apple updated the wearable with the M5 chip, but the move hasn’t revitalized the device’s status in Apple’s lineup.

Most of the complaints about the device stem from its exorbitant price or its cumbersome battery pack. Besides costing a whopping US$ 3,499, the Vision Pro is also difficult to move around with, especially because of its total weight and a battery pack that can get in the way.

To be clear, Apple has not officially discontinued the Vision Pro yet. The company continues to sell the version with the M5 chip. Apple can also restart development in the future.

However, the meantime retirement on future development does coincide with the recent restructuring inside the company. Tim Cook recently decided to step down as CEO with John Ternus as his replacement. Canning the Vision Pro might be Ternus’ first step in redefining Apple according to his plans.

Apps

YouTube makes picture-in-picture mode free for everyone globally

The update is rolling out globally now.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Picture-in-picture (or PiP) mode is a godsend for multitaskers. The feature lets users watch videos in a tiny floating window while doing other tasks. However, the feature isn’t readily available for all users. Or wasn’t, at least. YouTube is now rolling out PiP mode for free globally.

Previously, PiP mode was exclusive to YouTube users who pay for Premium or Premium Lite. It was also exclusive to the United States.

Now, YouTube is making the feature completely free for users all over the globe. It will be available for both iOS and Android versions of the app.

There’s still a catch, though. The free version is available only for “longform, non-music content.” The same goes for Premium Lite subscribers. Music is still an exclusive feature for those who pay for the regular version of Premium. Basically, there is no change for paying users or users in the United States.

Using PiP mode is simple. All you need to do is load up a video you want to watch in the background. Then, just exit the YouTube app and go about your other tasks. The video will be inside a floating, resizable window while you look at other things.

There’s no timeline on when the update will reach your device. However, YouTube has promised that it will roll out globally within the coming months.

Enterprise

OnePlus has reportedly merged with realme

Both brands were previously rumored for restructuring early this year.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

OnePlus has a problem. For a while now, rumors have swirled about the company’s dissolution. For their part, the company has continued to deny the reports, citing business as usual. Likely to their dismay, the reports just keep coming. Today, sources have hinted that OnePlus has merged with realme.

Back in January, it was rumored that OnePlus would be closing up shop this year. Since the company very quickly denied the rumors, the report hardly made waves. However, a suspected merger with realme is more difficult to debunk.

For one, realme is itself in a very interesting position. Also back in January, realme was reportedly moving back into being a sub-brand of OPPO. Coupled together with the OnePlus debacle, all this internal restructuring seems par for the course.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, OnePlus and realme have already concluded the merger. The two brands have reportedly united their Chinese and international operations under one roof. Likewise, their marketing will be the same. Pete Lau will still be the main head for this new division.

As with anything of this nature, take this with a grain of salt. OPPO, OnePlus, and realme have not issued any official statements concerning a merger or a shutdown for any brand.