China-based smartphone maker Huawei announced that it shipped around 108 million smartphones in 2015, seeing a 44% year-on-year growth amid an expected slowdown in the global smartphone market, reported Reuters on January 6. The company said revenue from its consumer business group, which sells smartphones and tablets, soared 70% year-on-year to US$20 billion in 2015, thanks to brisk sales in China and Western Europe. Meanwhile, Huawei's sub-brand Honor will make its US debut with the mid-range Honor 5X, which will hit the shelves on January 31 for US$199.99 on Huawei's HiHonor.com and Amazon.