Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi shipped an estimated 12.7 million units to overtake Samsung as the biggest smartphone vendor in Europe for the first time in the second quarter of 2021, according to the latest Strategy Analytics research. Samsung has been the long-time leader in the European smartphone market and its displacement from the top marks a new era for smartphone sales in the region.
Xiaomi witnessed heavy demand for its smartphones from Ukraine, Russia, Italy, and Spain. European customers who have so far paid a premium for Samsung’s phones have now turned to Xiaomi’s Redmi and Mi series phones that are not only rich in features, but also offer value for money.
Overall smartphone shipments in Europe grew 14 per cent to 50.1 million units in the second quarter of 2021 as the market recovered from last year’s crash led by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Shipments of Samsung smartphones fell 7 per cent on year to 12 million units during Q2. While the Korean giant’s new Galaxy A series 5G models have performed well, it is now facing rising competition from old rival Apple in the high-end segment and from Chinese manufacturers in the lower end of the spectrum. Samsung also failed to fill the void left by Huawei in Europe.
Apple’s growth during the quarter was also strong with the Cupertino-based company recording a 16 per cent on year growth in shipments. The company shipped an estimated 9.6 million units of its iPhone in Europe. The company has a cache of loyal consumers, who splashed out on the iPhone 12 range as they looked to replace the aging 4G phones.
Oppo captured 6 per cent market share, riding high on the success of its A and Reno series phones. Realme rounded off the top five with a breakthrough quarter as the new Realme 8 series phones found favour. The company shipped an estimated 1.9 million units in the region.
