In a statement, Huawei said that the fact that it has overtaken Samsung shows a sign of exceptional resilience. The company’s overseas shipments, however, fell by nearly a third in the second quarter.

Huawei has become a pivotal issue in the geopolitical standoff between Beijing and Washington, which claims the firm poses a significant cybersecurity threat.

Huawei has had a long-term ambition to overtake Samsung as the world’s biggest smartphone seller. It has now achieved that by selling more smartphones than Samsung during the April-June period this year.

However, analysts have warned that strength in China alone may not be enough to sustain Huawei once the global economy starts to recover. The global economy has been on a downfall ever since the pandemic broke out.

Experts suggest that Huawei’s reign will not last long as the results were clearly influenced by the ongoing pandemic. More than 70%of Huawei’s devices were sold in China, which has not been hit as hard by COVID-19 as many of Samsung’s major markets. Furthermore, Samsung is a tiny player in China, Huawei’s backyard.

 “Our business has demonstrated exceptional resilience in these difficult times,” Huawei said.

However, Canalys has insisted that Huawei benefited from the pandemic and were able to sell more than they were doing before.

“This is a remarkable result that few people would have predicted a year ago,” said a Canalys analyst, “If it wasn’t for COVID-19, it wouldn’t have happened. Huawei has taken full advantage of the Chinese economic recovery to reignite its smartphone business.”