Samsung loses top spot in Europe as Xiaomi overtakes it for the first time

Xiaomi’s results over the last twelve months have been nothing short of incredible and the latest market data from Europe should give Samsung reason to worry as its position as the largest brand is no longer guaranteed.

Xiaomi is number one in Europe

Research firm Strategy Analytics reports that Xiaomi shipped a total of 12.7 million smartphones in Europe between April and June, representing an increase of 67.1% year-over-year following the collapse of Huawei.

Xiaomi ended the quarter with a market share of 25.3%, enough to catapult the Chinese brand into the top spot for the first time ever. The success is attributed to strong performance in markets like Spain and Italy, as well as Russia and Ukraine.

Customers reportedly favored the Xiaomi Mi and Redmi lines thanks to their low prices and impressive feature sets, something brands like Samsung have struggled to match in recent years.

Samsung is really struggling in Europe at the moment Samsung has long been the leader in Europe, but its reign came to an end last quarter as it slipped down into second position with a market share of 24% following shipments of 12 million smartphones. The average growth across Europe last quarter was 14.4%, but Samsung’s numbers are down 7% year-on-year despite the equivalent quarter in 2020 being extremely weak due to the strict lockdowns that took place across the region. Strategy Analytics says Samsung is performing well in the budget 5G phone segment with recent Galaxy A-series models. However, it has failed to take advantage of Huawei’s exit and is facing increasing competition from Apple in the high-end.

The iPhone 12 series continued to performed well Speaking of Apple, the Tim Cook-led company posted another strong quarter with shipments of 9.6 million iPhone units, a market share of 19.2%, and year-on-year growth of 16%. The iPhone 12 series continue to perform well, particularly among loyal customers looking to upgrade their old devices. The current supercycle is expected to continue into 2022, so Apple is expected to end 2021 on a high.

Oppo and Realme completed the top 5 Rounding out the top 5 were Oppo and its sub-brand Realme with shipments of 2.8 million units and 1.9 million units, respectively. Oppo’s numbers are up an impressive 180% year-on-year, whereas Realme’s exploded 1800%.

Both brands continue to benefit from the exit of Huawei, as well as their focus on affordable 5G devices. It’s worth noting that OnePlus, another Oppo sub-brand, was expected to take the 5th position this quarter, but Realme’s growth was seemingly unmatchable.