Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi overtook Apple to become the world’s No. 2 smartphone maker in the second quarter, research firm Canalys reported on Thursday.
According to the research firm, Xiaomi ranked second for the first time with a 17 percent share in worldwide smartphone shipments, up 3 percent from the previous quarter. Global smartphone shipments grew 12 percent in the second quarter, with Samsung leading with a 19 percent share, and Apple in third place with a 14 percent share.
Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton said that the average selling price of Xiaomi phones is about 40% to 75 percent cheaper than those of Samsung and Apple respectively, a key priority for Xiaomi this year to increase sales of its high-end devices.
This is the first time that Xiaomi has secured the second position in the Canalys report. In the first quarter of 2021 and for the whole of 2020, Samsung and Apple were the top two smartphone brands in the world.
In 2019, Samsung and Huawei were at the top of the list. Xiaomi’s founder and CEO Lei Jun said in a letter on Friday, “Becoming the No. 2 seller in the world is “an important milestone in Xiaomi’s history.” Over 150 percent in Africa and more than 50 percent in Western Europe.
Ben Stanton, Research Manager at Canalys, said the average selling price of Xiaomi phones is about 40 percent to 75 percent cheaper than smartphones like Samsung and Apple. The Canalys report showed that Samsung topped the year-on-year shipments with a steady growth of 15 percent, while Xiaomi’s global shipments grew by a whopping 83 percent globally.
