Folks stroll previous a Xiaomi retailer in Beijing on January 15, 2021, as shares within the firm collapsed on January 15 after america blacklisted the smartphone large and a bunch of different Chinese language corporations.
Greg Baker | AFP | Getty Pictures
GUANGZHOU, China — Chinese language smartphone maker Xiaomi was the second-largest smartphone maker within the second quarter, overtaking Apple, based on analyst agency Canalys.
Xiaomi had a 17% share of worldwide smartphone shipments, forward of Apple’s 14% and behind Samsung’s 19%.
“Xiaomi is rising its abroad enterprise quickly,” Canalys analysis supervisor Ben Stanton stated in a press launch, noting shipments elevated 300% 12 months on 12 months in Latin America and 50% in Western Europe.
The Chinese language smartphone maker posted year-on-year smartphone cargo progress of 83% versus 15% for Samsung and 1% for Apple.
Stanton famous, nevertheless, that Xiaomi telephones are nonetheless skewed towards the mass market, with the common promoting value of its handsets 75% cheaper than Apple’s.
However the Beijing-headquartered firm is now seeking to push into the high-end market. Earlier this 12 months, it launched the Mi 11 Extremely, a premium smartphone that begins at 5,999 yuan ($928). It additionally launched the 9,999 yuan Mi Combine Fold, its first foldable cellphone.
That value vary pits Xiaomi in opposition to Apple and Samsung within the premium phase. Its home rivals Oppo and Vivo are additionally making an attempt to interrupt by into the high-end market.
“It is going to be a troublesome battle, with Oppo and Vivo sharing the identical goal, and each keen to spend massive on above-the-line advertising to construct their manufacturers in a method that Xiaomi shouldn’t be,” Stanton stated.
“All distributors are combating onerous to safe part provide amid international shortages, however Xiaomi already has its sights set on the subsequent prize: displacing Samsung to turn out to be the world’s largest vendor.”
Xiaomi has benefitted from Huawei’s struggles. Huawei was as soon as the biggest smartphone participant on this planet, however U.S. sanctions lower the Chinese language firm off from crucial provides together with software program and chips, inflicting its gross sales to plunge.
Whereas smartphones nonetheless account for almost all of Xiaomi’s income, the corporate is seeking to get into new areas. In March, the expertise agency introduced plans to launch an electrical automobile enterprise and make investments $10 billion over the subsequent 10 years.
Correction: This story has been up to date to precisely mirror that this isn’t the primary time that Xiaomi has overtaken Apple.