A banner quarter for Xiaomi helped the Chinese wireless company take second place in global smartphone shipments newly published Q2 numbers from research company Canalys. It’s pretty impressive growth for the company, up 83% qoq and taking 17% of the global market.
The increase puts Xiaomi in second place worldwide, only with a relatively small lead behind Samsung’s 19%. Apple is in third place at 14% (after its own solid growth slowed), while Chinese manufacturers Oppo and Vivo round out the top 5 with 10% apiece.
Huawei is nowhere to be seen among the top companies, of course. It’s a pretty massive drop, not least because of the blacklist the company has both banned from certain markets (namely the US) and blocked access to US mobile products, including Google’s Android and various apps.
Photo credits: Canalys
Canalys cites aggressive pricing as a big factor in Xiaomi’s success – especially in contrast to premium pricing offers from Samsung and Apple.
“The company is now transforming its business model from challenger to incumbent, with initiatives such as the consolidation of distribution partners and more careful management of older stocks in the open market,” said research manager at analyst firm Ben Stanton in a press release. “However, it is still largely mass marketed, and when compared to Samsung and Apple, the average retail price is about 40% and 75% cheaper, respectively. It is therefore a major priority for Xiaomi this year to increase sales of its high-end devices such as the Mi 11 Ultra. “
The company is certainly not a household name in the USA (here the company has dealt with its own issues), but lately it has been particularly successful in Latin America, Africa and Western Europe. It seems that there are still plenty of markets available to continue its expansion as it looks to take on Samsung, even with Oppo and Vivo hoping to continue their own rapid global growth.