Xiaomi beats Apple to grab second spot in global smartphone market, study finds

China’s Xiaomi has surpassed Apple to become the world’s second-largest smartphone brand by market share, according to Canalys’ global smartphone market report for the second quarter.

Photo credit: Iryna Khabliuk / 123RF

The report also noted that it was the first time Xiaomi has taken the no. 2 spot, accounting for 17% of global smartphone shipments and posting 83% year-over-year growth in Q2. Apple slipped to third place with a 14% share of shipments, which jumped by only 1% over the last year. Meanwhile, Samsung remained in pole position with a 19% share.

The fourth and fifth spots went to China-based Oppo and Vivo, which got 10% share each.

Xiaomi’s growth was driven by rapid growth in markets outside China, said Ben Stanton, research manager at Canalys. The Chinese phonemaker’s shipments to Latin America and Africa rose by more than 300% and 150%, respectively. Xiaomi’s shipments to Western Europe also went up by 50%, he added.

Image credit: Canalys

It is worth noting that Xiaomi is already quite popular in India, one of the biggest smartphone markets in the world. It was the top smartphone brand in the country in the first quarter of 2021, with a 26% share of shipments, according to a Counterpoint Research report.

Stanton from Canalys also noted that Xiaomi was more focused on mass-market smartphones. “Compared with Samsung and Apple, its average selling price is around 40% and 75% cheaper, respectively,” he noted.

According to the researcher, Xiaomi would want to grow sales of its high-end devices, such as the Mi 11 Ultra.

Image credit: Canalys

Xiaomi ranked third spot among smartphone makers in Q1 of this year, getting 14% of global market share. Apple was runner-up with a 15% share, while Samsung was in the lead with a 22% share.