They are probably referring to the period where Huawei struggled to even ship a device because of sanctions applied to them that made it impossible to source components.

Once these were overcome they have bounced back and are looking stronger than ever, their revenue has now risen above the pre-sanctions peak.

Pre Huawei ban, they had 30% smartphone market. Each year that looked like it was trending upwards without any sign of stopping.

The year after? Poof, very small percentage of the global market.