Xiaomi Surpasses Apple to Become Global Smartphone Market 'No. 2'... Closely Chasing Samsung

[Asia Economy Reporter Joeslgina] Chinese company Xiaomi surpassed Apple to rank second in the global smartphone market in the second quarter (April to June) of this year. Leveraging aggressive low-price strategies, it is closely chasing the market leader Samsung Electronics.

According to market research firm Canalys on the 15th (local time), the global smartphone shipment volume in the second quarter increased by 12% compared to the same period last year, driven by the spread of vaccinations.

Looking at market share by manufacturer, Samsung Electronics maintained its lead with a 19% market share. Xiaomi followed with 17%, ranking second for the first time ever. The gap with first-place Samsung Electronics is only 2 percentage points. Apple was pushed down to third place with 14%. Chinese companies Oppo and Vivo took 10% market share each, ranking fourth and fifth respectively.

Notably, Xiaomi's growth rate reached a remarkable 83%. This contrasts sharply with Apple's growth of just 1% during the same period. Samsung Electronics recorded a 15% growth rate. Ben Stanton, Research Manager at Canalys, said, "Xiaomi's overseas business is experiencing rapid growth," adding, "Shipments increased by 300% in Latin America, 150% in Africa, and over 50% in Western Europe."

Xiaomi aims to surpass Samsung Electronics to become the world's largest smartphone manufacturer. However, Xiaomi, which focuses on affordable low-end products, has a significantly lower average selling price (ASP) compared to Samsung Electronics and Apple. It is estimated to be 40% lower than Samsung Electronics and 75% lower than Apple.

Manager Stanton stated, "Xiaomi's top priority this year is to increase sales of high-end devices like the Mi 11 Ultra," but he also noted that competitors Oppo and Vivo, who are also aggressively pursuing low-end markets, are closely chasing Xiaomi, making it a tough battle.

Canalys has not yet released the finalized smartphone shipment figures for the second quarter. Previously, global smartphone shipments in the first quarter were recorded at 347 million units.