NEW DELHI:
Xiaomi
has become the world’s second biggest smartphone maker over the past quarter following an 83% jump in shipments, according to preliminary estimates by
Canalys
.
This marks the first occasion that Xiaomi, the Chinese maker of everything from rice cookers to gaming monitors, has broken into the top two, historically dominated by
Samsung
and
Apple.
Samsung had a 19% share in the second quarter, Xiaomi had 17% and Apple was at 14%, according to the research firm’s data.
Huawei
had briefly disrupted the rankings, until sanctions cut it off from essential chip supplies last year. Its withdrawal from the highly competitive smartphone market pushed other Chinese vendors to spend aggressively on new hardware and upgrades.
Xiaomi was particularly active, launching two flagship devices within the first four months of the year. Its Mi 11
Ultra
device features one of the largest camera sensors in a smartphone to date, underscoring the firm’s ambition to push up into the premium pricing range.
“Compared with Samsung and Apple, its average selling price is around 40% and 75% cheaper respectively,” said
Canalys Research
Manager Ben Stanton.
“So 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.”
The Mi device maker has spent the first half of the year contesting the title of biggest smartphone maker in China with rivals Oppo and Vivo.