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Apple still world's top brand, as Huawei enters rankings

Apple and Google have held their top spots as the planet's most valuable brands, according to ranking firm Interbrand.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway
2 min read

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Interbrand

Apple and Google are the world's most valuable brands, according to fresh rankings from brand evaluation firm Interbrand.

The iPhone-maker held its grip on the top spot, having last year nudged Coca-Cola from number one. Google similarly held steady with a second-place ranking. Both firms have an estimated brand value of over 100 million dollars. Figures are calculated by analysing the financial performance of each brand, the role that the brand itself plays in influencing shopper decisions, and how important a is brand to a company's power to make money, or charge a premium price for its products.

Six of the top ten brands are tech firms, with IBM taking fourth place, Microsoft taking fifth and Samsung claiming the number six spot. Amazon and Facebook, which placed 15th and 29th respectively, were both deemed "top risers" by Interbrand.

Huawei makes the grade

A new entrant to the top-100 ranking is Huawei, the first Chinese company to ever enter Interbrand's rankings, placing 94th. Best known to shoppers for its low-price Android smartphones, Interbrand writes, "The company is working to change its image in the mobile handset market from that of the low-cost alternative to one of a more premium brand."

Francisco Jeronimo, analyst at IDC told CNET that Huawei has been "recognised by consumers as a strong brand that provides affordable products but with quality, which was not the case a few years ago, when we tended to associate Chinese brands with low price and low quality."

"Using a Huawei handset provides an experience similar to many other devices from top brands," Jeronimo added. "I can get a good experience and good specs for a much lower price." Jeronimo also noted that it was surprising to see Huawei ranked ahead of Nokia (which appeared 98th in the top 100 list).