Beijing – September 24, 2026 -- Honor's global smartphone shipments surpassed 71 million units in 2025, making it the fastest-growing leading smartphone vendor after the company's domestic market share had collapsed to just 3% following its November 2020 spinoff from Huawei.
Shipments climbed 25% in Q1 2026 despite market headwinds
Honor extended its recovery into 2026, with first-quarter shipments rising 25% even as broader smartphone demand faced pressure. The gains follow a period in which the roughly 7,000-person team operated without an owned operating system or manufacturing facilities.
Pingshan factory built a smart manufacturing line in 211 days
At its industrial park in Shenzhen's Pingshan district, Honor's team constructed a smart manufacturing line in 211 days, reaching a production rate of one phone every 18.5 seconds. The buildout formed part of a broader push to restore output capacity after the split from Huawei left the company without its own production lines.
Employee-driven rebuild followed 2020 split from Huawei
Teams in Shenzhen's Futian district and in Beijing worked through extended hours, including technicians who used ice packs on fans to manage summer heat during the recovery period, according to the report. The company cited engineering efforts such as testing of 10,000 battery cells as part of quality-control work behind the shipment turnaround.
Honor's rebound from a 3% domestic share to a top-tier global shipment position occurred over roughly five years, spanning the November 2020 spinoff through the reported Q1 2026 growth figures.