Global smartphone shipments increased 12 per cent in Q2 2021, preliminary data from Canalys showed, with Chinese vendor Xiaomi the standout performer following a near 85 per cent rise in unit sell-in compared with the same period of 2020.

The preliminary estimates are subject to change upon final release and don’t provide specific shipment numbers, Canalys noted. In Q2 2020, shipments totalled 285 million units.

Xiaomi took a 17 per cent share in the recent quarter with shipments 83 per cent higher than the 29 million of Q2 2020.

Fellow Chinese smartphone vendors followed suit, with Oppo shipments up 28 per cent to record a 10 per cent share and Vivo matching its share with numbers 27 per cent higher.

Samsung held top spot with a 19 per cent share on shipments 15 per cent higher than the 54 million in Q2 2020.

Apple dropped to third, with a 14 per cent portion and 1 per cent growth from 45 million units shipped.

Chinese companies on the rise
Canalys research manager Ben Stanton attributed Xiaomi’s performance to rapid overseas growth, including a more than 300 per cent rise in shipments in Latin America.

While its ASP was approximately 40 per cent lower than Samsung and 75 per cent less than Apple, Stanton said Xiaomi now had a priority to boost sales of its high-end devices.

He predicted Xiaomi will attempt to dethrone Samsung, but could face challenges from Oppo and Vivo.