This year has been a tumultuous one for Huawei. The company launched one good smartphone after the other, whether on the low end of the spectrum with the Nova series, or in the high-end market with its P20 and Mate 20 series. It also faced stiff regulatory opposition and found itself caught in the midst of a political/economical war between the US and China. From seeing its deals to enter the US market vanish with AT&T and Verizon to having its CFO arrested in Canada, the rollercoaster of Huawei's 2018 hasn't slowed down. But the company is ending its year on a high note and with one number worth celebrating: it shipped over 200 million smartphones in 2018.

This is by far Huawei's best performance and a manifestation of its skyrocketing success. From 3 million units in 2010 to 200 million in 2018, the numbers don't lie. In its announcement, Huawei took a moment to highlight its big performers: it shipped 65 million devices from the Nova series, 16 million from the P20 series, and 5 million from the Mate 20 series (in about two months since its announcement). The Honor 10 and V10 were also lauded, though no specific numbers were given.

Now ranked second worldwide, it seems like nothing can stop Huawei anymore, but I think that's far from true. Even putting the political war aside, I've been covering this industry long enough to know that no one stays at the top for too long. From Nokia to Samsung to Huawei, the tides have risen and fallen many a time and they'll continue to do so. I applaud Huawei for making it to the big leagues in such a short time, but staying there will require more than some dual-tone colored glass — regardless of how gorgeous that green color is.

Source: Huawei