China’s Xiaomi keeps No 3 spot in global smartphone market in first quarter as Samsung tops Apple
- Xiaomi smartphone shipments were up 33 per cent for the quarter to 40.7 million units, giving it 14 per cent of the global market
- Xiaomi and Shenzhen-based Transsion were the only top-five brands to grow in the quarter, while headwinds for Apple pushed iPhone shipments down 16 per cent
Global smartphone shipments were up 10 per cent year on year, reaching 296.2 million units from January to March, according to consultancy firm Canalys.
Xiaomi shipments, which include its sub-brand Poco, are up 33 per cent from the same period last year.
“Mass-market brands are riding the wave of emerging markets rebounding, while cautiously stocking components,” Canalys analyst Runar Bjørhovde said in a statement.
The strong performances of Beijing-based Xiaomi and Shenzhen-based Transsion, which came in fourth with 9 per cent market share, are “driven by strong shipments of their latest models into the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America markets”, he added.
iPhone shipments fell 16 per cent year on year for the quarter. Apple’s decline comes as it faces headwinds in core markets, according to Canalys.
Amid fierce competition in China, Apple ranked third in the country after Chinese manufacturers Vivo and Huawei spin-off Honor, which secured shares of 17.4 per cent and 16.1 per cent, respectively.