Xiaomi Beats Apple to Take Second Spot in Global Smartphone Shipments

Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has beaten Apple to take second place in global smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2021. A new report from Canalys indicates that the smartphone vendor managed to capture 17 percent of the global market in the period. Samsung led the pack with a 19 percent market share while Apple came third with 14 percent.

Oppo and Vivo, both from BBK electronics took fourth and fifth place with 10 percent of the global market each. Chinese smartphone manufacturers have in the last year expanded to larger markets, growing a lot of overseas business.

Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton said that Xiaomi’s sales were boosted in regions such as Africa, Western Europe and Latin America.

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“It is still largely skewed toward the mass market, however, and compared with Samsung and Apple, its average selling price is around 40 percent and 75 percent cheaper respectively. So a major priority for Xiaomi this year is to grow sales of its high end devices, such as Mi 11 Ultra.”

According to Canalys, smartphone global shipments grew by 12 percent in the second quarter, largely due to Huawei’s downfall. The Chinese company’s sales have suffered since the US imposed sanctions and banned them from trading in the country.

Last year, Huawei also beat Apple to take the second place, although Apple was able to bounce back after the launch of its iPhone 12 in October 2020.

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