China – The Chinese tech giant, Xiaomi regained its crown in the world’s largest smartphone market. Apple remained the leader of the pack for two quarters in China, but now dropped to third place. It seems like Apple’s time at the top of the China’s smartphone market was short-lived. The runner-up spot was claimed by one of Xiaomi’s fastest-growing rivals, Huawei.
An independent analyst firm; Canalys reported that Xiaomi snagged 15.9% of all shipments in China, followed by Huawei taking 15.7% due to the increasing popularity of its Honor products giving 48% quarter-on-quarter growth. Xiaomi and Huawei have been successful in beating the California based giant Apple in the Chinese market. Apple was closely followed by Korean giant Samsung and another Chinese firm Vivo.
Xiaomi and other participants
In second quarter, Apple has shown roaring financial results in China. The company has however lost its top position due to its flagship devices – iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Also, over the years smartphone market in China has become sluggish and saturated and has led to greater consolidation among the top most vendors.
The South Korean smartphone maker, Samsung on the other hand is continuously suffering in China due to the increasing popularity of mid-level and higher-end phones manufactured by Xiaomi and Huawei at consumer friendly prices. Samsung has tried to re-capture the market by introducing a series of super thin and mid-range phones, but this strategy remained unsuccessful in getting the desired results.
According to Counterpoint, Xiaomi’s two devices are the main reason behind its success in second quarter – Mi Note Phablet and new $150 Redmi 2. Also, Huawei has recorded its highest shipments in its history. And with the upcoming new smartphones from giants like Apple and Samsung in the coming month, Xiaomi will be in immense pressure to maintain its top position in the Chinese smartphone market.
