Xiaomi sold more smartphones than Apple in the second quarter of this year.
The company continues its extraordinary growth and is still taking advantage of Huawei’s setbacks. According to data from analytics firm Canalys, the Chinese manufacturer became the second-largest smartphone seller globally in the second quarter of 2021, surpassing Apple and getting very close to Samsung.
Still robust growth
Over this period, Xiaomi’s market share would amount to 17%, i.e. two points less than Samsung (19%) and three points higher than Apple (14%).
Above all, it was thought that after establishing itself as a reference in the market in recent years, Xiaomi was going to lift its foot with its two- or even triple-digit growth. But this is not the case: the brand’s sales increased by 83%, thanks in particular to a breakthrough in South America (300%) and Africa (150%). In Western Europe, Xiaomi sees its sales increase by 50%.
OPPO and Vivo take fourth and fifth place in the rankings with market shares of 10% each and similar growth, around 28% for OPPO and 27% for Vivo. Samsung grew by 15% over the period, and Apple by only 1%.
Xiaomi sells a lot, but cheap
However, these figures need to be qualified. True, the performance is remarkable, but it is unlikely that Xiaomi will keep this second place indefinitely. Apple has historically experienced weaker second and third quarters and hits the fourth and first quarters following the launch of the new iPhones.
And most importantly, Xiaomi is exploding on the entry and mid-range, with smartphones that generate relatively little revenue, while Apple achieves significant margins with its iPhones. Canalys reports that the average price of a Xiaomi smartphone sold is about 40% lower than that of a Samsung and 75% lower than that of an Apple iPhone.
But, if Xiaomi continues its momentum, it could become the number 1 in the market in a few years when it comes to sold units.
