Based in Beijing, China, Xiaomi grabbed 15.9 percent of the country’s mobile market share, according to research firm Canalys’ estimates.
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Telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co (華為) was close behind at 15.7 percent, it said, followed by Apple, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co and Chinese firm Vivo Electronics Corp (維沃移動通信), without giving the percentages for those three.
During the second quarter, one in three smartphones shipped were from Huawei or Xiaomi, Canalys observed.
“We remain extremely bullish on China and we are continuing to invest”, Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said last month when the company announced earnings. “Huawei recorded the highest smartphone shipments in its history without compromising its product margin or profitability”. Apple is in now in 3rd place behind Samsung, and both tech giants are working towards increasing their sales activities in order to regain their rightful places in the market.
Analyst Wang Jingwen said that Xiaomi is under enormous pressure to retain its top spot in the upcoming quarters.
Apple captured third sport during the second quarter with a market share of 12.2 percent. “The weak growth was a result of muted economic environment, smartphone market saturation and lack of product related catalysts”, Counterpoint research said.
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Apple surprisingly claimed the top spot for the first time in the final quarter of 2014 thanks to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, despite the retail prices being greater than phones made by Chinese vendors. However, the world’s most valuable brand, Apple Inc. lost more than 5% market share as compared to the previous quarter. Xiaomi is being called a startup legend, and Huawei is the fastest-growing manufacturer in the Chinese smartphone market. Competition is fierce than it has ever been, with Samsung, Apple and dozens of other vendors all battling for a larger piece of the market. Its Michigan Note phablet and new $150 Redmi 2 the top two devices in quarter, according to Counterpoint. India presents another growth opportunity aside from China and a market saturation issue for Apple is not likely to surface, at least in the short term.
