TL;DR
- According to Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi has toppled Samsung to become the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer.
- This is strictly looking at June 2021. For the second quarter of this year, Samsung is still in the top spot.
- Even if Xiaomi can’t hold onto the top spot, this is proof that it could topple Samsung permanently.
A few weeks ago, we told you of reports that Xiaomi toppled Apple to become the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer. Those results reflected an analysis of the second quarter of 2021.
We’ll need to wait and see where the company stands in Q3 2021. By the time analysis of that quarter concludes, it’s possible Samsung could still retain its top position. Regardless, Counterpoint’s analysis (and analysis from other firms) proves Xiaomi is absolutely a threat to Samsung’s market dominance.
This past year has really been a perfect storm in favor of Xiaomi. Samsung’s smartphone business has slowed, Huawei is essentially absent from the market, and LG has exited entirely. This left room for Xiaomi to gain some major growth, and it clearly did.
It will take some time for Xiaomi to truly topple Samsung, though. The company would need to be the market leader for an entire quarter and need to hold onto that spot for several quarters before anyone would feel comfortable proclaiming it the true leader. Even now, the race is so tight at the top that neither company can claim a strong lead.
Perhaps Samsung’s upcoming slate of foldable phones will turn the tide in its favor? Or perhaps Xiaomi will gain even more steam when it launches much more affordable phones? We’re eager to see how this plays out.
