Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Huawei has set a record for itself by shipping more than 200 million smartphones in 2018, the company said in a statement Sunday.

The Chinese phone maker said the numbers were largely driven by the success of products like its P20, Honor 10 and Mate 20 series.

Huawei's smartphone shipments have grown from 3 million units in 2010, it added. Last year, it said it sold 153 million units. The company overtook Apple in the second quarter of 2018 to become the world's second largest phone vendor, according to researcher Canalys.

"In the global smartphone market, Huawei has gone from being dismissed as a statistical 'other' to ranking among the Top 3 players in the world," Huawei said in its statement.

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Despite its successes this year, Huawei has still faced some challenges, particularly with the US government. In February, US intelligence officials advised Americans not to purchase Huawei products out of fear they're being used to spy for the Chinese government. In January, AT&T pulled out of a deal to sell the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and Verizon reportedly followed suit.

Still, Huawei is popular in places like China and Europe. More than 500 million people in over 170 countries use Huawei phones, according to the company.

In August, the company raised its shipment forecast for 2018 from 180 million to 200 million, and said it aims to become the world's largest phone vendor by the end of 2019.

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