TL; DR
- According to Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi has overturned Samsung to become the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer.
- This strictly relates to June 2021. For the second quarter of this year, Samsung is still at the top.
- Even if Xiaomi cannot hold the top spot, this is proof that it could permanently topple Samsung.
A few weeks ago we told you about reports that Xiaomi had overturned Apple to become the second largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. These results reflected an analysis of the second quarter of 2021.
We’ll have to wait and see where the company is in the third quarter of 2021. Until the end of this quarter’s analysis, it is possible that Samsung could maintain its top position. Regardless, Counterpoint’s analysis (and analysis by other companies) proves that Xiaomi is an absolute threat to Samsung’s market dominance.
Last year was really a perfect storm in favor of Xiaomi. Samsung’s smartphone business has slowed, Huawei is practically out of the market, and LG has pulled out completely. This left Xiaomi wiggle room to grow big, and it clearly did.
However, it will be some time before Xiaomi Samsung really crashes. The company would have to be a leader for a full quarter and hold that place for several quarters before anyone would be comfortable declaring it a true leader. The race at the top is already so close that neither company can claim a strong lead.
Perhaps Samsung’s upcoming foldable phones will turn the tide in its favor? Or maybe Xiaomi will gain even more momentum when it launches much cheaper phones? We are curious to see how that develops.