Xiaomi, the Chinese Tech company, sold about five million smartphones more than Apple in the third quarter, a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed.
The Chinese tech company rose to take Apple’s spot as the world’s third largest seller of smartphones after Samsung and Huawei.
Xiaomi sold 46.5 million devices, at least five million more than Apple, whose figures were affected by the late launch of the iPhone 12, the IDC report said.
Read: Samsung Beats Huawei to Lead in Global Smartphone Sales in August
Samsung got back to the top spot, beating Huawei who had clinchethe spot for the first time in the second quarter. Huawei has faced increasing sanctions from Western countries which have negatively affected sales.
The report also revealed that global smartphone sales declined by 1.3 percent year-on-year. This is much better compared to the 9 percent projection due to the pandemic.
Here is a breakdown of Smartphone sales
Samsung- $80.4 million
Samsung accounts for one in every four phone sold worldwide. The company’s sales surged mostly in India due to a high demand for cheaper models and the M series. US customers preferred the A-series as well as the Note 20 and Note 20 ultra.
Read also: Samsung Records Ksh440 Billion Profit In 3 Months, A 38PC Slump
Samsung reported its highest quarterly revenue at $59 billion but cautioned that the competition in the market could hurt its fourth quarter sales.
Huawei- $51.9 million
Huawei’s sales in the third quarter dropped 22 percent year-on-year. The company sold at least 30 million less phones compared to Samsung.
Huawei’s sales dropped globally due to the US sanctions and also in China by 15 percent, the IDC report sad.
Xiaomi- $46.5 million
Xiaomi had great third quarter, reporting a 42 percent rise in sales. The IDC attributed this to the brand’s continued strong presence in China.
Read also: Huawei Overtakes Samsung To Become Top Global Smartphone Vendor
The brand is also growing outside China, with nearly half of its phones being sold overseas. It low-priced phones, such as Red-mi 9 series performed particularly well.Xiaomi now commands a 13.1 percent smartphone market share.
Apple- $41.6 million
iPhone sales dropped 10.6 percent year-on-year bringing Apple to the fourth spot with 11.8 percent of the smartphone market share.
Apple topped IDC’s list in 2019 when it accounted for one of every five smartphones sold.
iPhone sales are expected to improve in the fourth quarter after the launch of the iPhone 12 series in October.
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