Global smartphone shipments increased 12 percent in Q2 2021, according to the latest Canalys report released on July 15.
Samsung, Xiaomi, Apple, Oppo and Vivo are the top five smartphone makers in the world, the report indicated.
Samsung was the leading vendor with a 19 percent share of smartphones shipped. Xiaomi took second place for the first time ever, with a 17 percent share. Apple was third, with 14 percent, while Vivo and Oppo maintained strong growth momentum to complete the top five.
“Xiaomi is growing its overseas business rapidly,” said Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton.
Xiaomi’s smartphone shipments increased more than 300 percent in Latin America, 150 percent Africa and 50 percent in Western Europe.
Xiaomi is transforming its business model from challenger to incumbent, with initiatives such as channel partner consolidation and more careful management of older stock in the open market. It is still largely skewed toward the mass market, however, and compared with Samsung and Apple, its average selling price is around 40 percent and 75 percent cheaper respectively.
A major priority for Xiaomi this year is to grow sales of its high-end devices, such as the Mi 11 Ultra. But it will be a tough battle, with Oppo and Vivo sharing the same objective, and both willing to spend big on above-the-line marketing to build their brands in a way that Xiaomi is not.
