Xiaomi maintains its 3rd place among smartphone manufacturers , but Apple has some concerns. During the first quarter of 2021, the Chinese firm broke its record for sales of smartphones. With 49 million units sold , it has won a 14% market share , unprecedented for the manufacturer. The latter thus achieves growth of 62% compared to last year.
By comparison, Apple shipped 52.4 million iPhones in this first quarter, which represents 15% of the market share. A score obtained in particular thanks to the immense popularity of the standard iPhone 12 , which allows the Cupertino company to keep its second place in the ranking. However, the rivalry between the two manufacturers is likely to experience new twists during this year.
CAN XIAOMI TAKE SECOND PLACE FROM APPLE?
“Its competitors offer a higher margin to resellers, but Xiaomi's production volume gives them better opportunities to generate money,” said Ben Stanton, of analysis firm Canalys. Indeed, the Chinese manufacturer adopts a different strategy from that of its American rival, one offering a wide range of smartphones at variable prices and performance. It is precisely the latter that could earn him this second place.
Samsung, which operates a similar strategy, also remains in first place with 76.5 million smartphones sold for 22% of the market share. The South Korean manufacturer owes its success to the Galaxy S21, which has enabled it to generate record profits . Ben Stanton reminds that “Oppo and Vivo are on the hats of the wheel and are positioned in the mid-range in many regions to overtake Xiaomi”. The two firms are respectively 4th and 5th in the ranking.
Source: Canalys