Xiaomi Recaptures Title Of Top Smartphone Seller In China In Second Quarter Of 2015

Xiaomi lost its number one spot to Apple during the first quarter of 2015, but during the following quarter, the Chinese phone maker managed to regain its lead over the iPhone maker.

Xiaomi so far has increased its value to over $40 billion and it is now looking at expanding its reach beyond its home country China and into other markets around the world. It recently launched its operations in Brazil, and if all goes well, it is set to boost its presence in other new markets. 

But in its own turf, the company continues to do well even after fell behind Apple during the first quarter of this year. As reported by analyst firm Canalys, Xiaomi managed to capture 15.9 percent of all smartphone shipments in China. Interestingly, Apple, which took first place in the first quarter, has dropped to third place. As for Huawei, after managing a remarkable 48 percent quarter on quarter growth, it now holds the second spot with a 15.7 percent share, only marginally less than Xiaomi’s share. Rounding off the top five are Samsung and Vivo. 

Many may we think that Canalys’ information is nothing more than an educated guess, but data from another analyst firm, Counterpoint Research, seem to echo Canalys’ numbers. According to Counterpoint Research’s data, Xiaomi is number one with a 15.8 percent share, Huawei is number two with a 15.4 percent share, Apple is number three with a 12.2 percent share, and Vivo is number four with an 8.1 percent share.

Sure, Apple managed to fall two places to the number three spot, but analysts are not too worried about the iPhone maker. As its second quarter financials show, the company actually did well in the Chinese market, which is incredible considering that Apple does not have a new smartphone in the market (its flagship devices, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, were launched last year). The fact that it still managed to capture third place without a new smartphone offering indicates it definitely has a strong following in China.

With Samsung though, it is an entirely different story. The South Korean mobile giant appears to have a difficult time keeping up with China’s homegrown phone makers. And it is not for lack of trying. The company debuted its ultra slim Galaxy A8 in the Chinese market, but so far, it has not boosted Samsung’s standing in China. 

Despite the continuing success of Xiaomi, Huawei, and Apple in China, the smartphone market in the country (the biggest in the world) is actually slowing down. As estimated by Counterpoint Research, the number of smartphone shipments in the region has dropped by 2 percent year on year during the second quarter of this year, but it did increase 4 percent quarter on quarter.