Xiaomi overtakes Apple in global smartphone market

According to a new report published by the analyst firm Canalys, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has overtaken Apple to become the second-largest vendor in the global smartphone market. The rise is based on the number of worldwide shipments that took place in the second quarter of 2021. 

Xiaomi, Apple, Samsung, Oppo, and Vivo experience growth in shipments as the market’s top five

The information in the report shows that the Chinese firm captured 17% of the global market share, which is just behind Samsung’s 19% but ahead of Apple’s 14%. The top five positions were completed by BBK’s Oppo and Vivo, which both held a 10% share. While all companies grew, Xiaomi shipped 83% more phones than in Q2 2020, whereas Samsung’s shipments increased by 15% and Apple’s by just 1%. 

Canalys claims that global smartphone shipments grew by 12 percent in the last quarter. The last company to overtake Apple was Huawei, however, which it did in 2019, but the company has since been “put out” of the worldwide market due to sanctions and trading bans imposed by the United States. 

Talking about how the company might be able to improve further, Ben Stanton, Research Manager at Canalys, said: “Xiaomi is growing its overseas business rapidly,”  says, citing sales boosts in regions including Western Europe, Africa, and Latin America. “It is still largely skewed toward the mass market, however, and compared with Samsung and Apple, its average selling price is around 40% and 75% cheaper respectively. So a major priority for Xiaomi this year is to grow sales of its high-end devices, such as the Mi 11 Ultra”. 

Despite smartphones being the main selling point for Xiaomi, the company is looking at expanding into new markets. In March it announced plans to launch an electric vehicle business, investing US$10bn over the next decade.