Xiaomi has managed to surpass Apple to become the second-largest smartphone OEM in the world in Q2 2021. Despite the strong consumer interest in iPhone 12, Apple slipped to take the third spot. This was the first time Xiaomi managed to surpass Apple in terms of smartphone sales.

Samsung remained the top smartphone vendor worldwide with a market share of 19 percent.

The Canalys report claims that Xiaomi managed to capture 17 percent of the global smartphone market in Q2 2021, posting a hefty 83 percent growth. This was followed by Apple at 14 percent, which saw a measly 1 percent growth. Oppo and Vivo came in fourth and fifth, with both of them capturing 10 percent of the smartphone market after growing by 28 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have heavily capitalized on Huawei’s absence from the smartphone market and managed to capture a wider user base.

Xiaomi has been growing its smartphone business outside of China and Asia rapidly. It managed to increase its smartphone shipments by more than 300 percent in Latin America, 150 percent in Africa, and 50 percent in Western Europe. Compared to Samsung and Apple, Xiaomi’s average selling price for smartphones is around 40-75 percent lower. The company is focusing on increasing the sales of its high-end devices like the Mi 11 Ultra, as it looks to dethrone Samsung to become the world’s largest smartphone vendor.

Q2 and Q3 of any year are usually slow in terms of iPhone sales as many customers end up deferring their purchase until the next-gen iPhone launches. The gap between Xiaomi’s and Apple’s market share will only get bigger in Q3 2021, with the full effect of the launch of new iPhones being visible only in Q4.

Despite Xiaomi overtaking Apple to become the world’s second-largest smartphone vendor, one must remember that its Apple which captures the majority of the smartphone market profits.