Xiaomi regained its crown as the top smartphone firm in China during Q2 2015, according to reports from two analyst firms.
The Chinese company, which is valued at more than $40 billion and recently launched in Brazil, topped the scales in China with 15.9 percent of all shipments, according to figures from Canalys’. Apple, which was first in China in the previous quarter, fell to third, with Huawei taking second place (15.7 percent) thanks to impressive 48 percent quarter-on-quarter growth fueled by its Honor products. Samsung and Vivo rounded out Canalys’ top five.
Analyst data is, of course, subject to interpretation, but figures from Counterpoint Research appear to validate most of Canalys’ findings. Counterpoint placed Xiaomi first (15.8 percent marketplace), ahead of Huawei (15.4 percent), Apple (12.2 percent) and Vivo (8.1 percent marketplace; 250 percent year-on-year growth), with Samsung in fifth.
While Apple lost the top spot, both analyst houses commented that it put in a strong quarter considering that its flagship devices — the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus — are no longer new to the market. We already knew Apple had a blockbuster Q2 in China as its financials showed, and the fact that it can still compete at this point in the year bodes well for its upcoming devices.
As for Samsung. The firm continues to suffer in China, most likely due to the popularity of mid-range devices from Xiaomi and (now) Huawei. The Korean firm has placed serious focus on China, turning out a series of super thin, mid-range phones that debut there first, but that strategy hasn’t drawn the desired results yet.
Xiaomi, on the other hand, bounced after two success dips back to take spot. Its Mi Note phablet and new $150 Redmi 2 the top two devices in the quarter, according to Counterpoint. That said, Huawei’s growth and increased competition from Samsung are of concern in the longer term.
“Apple and Samsung have both increased their sales activities in the China market, expanding rapidly in channel coverage through flagship stores and small to medium size phone retailers respectively. Xiaomi is under immense pressure to maintain its top position in the quarters to come,” said Canalys analyst Jingwen Wang in a statement.
Overall, the Chinese market — the world’s largest for smartphones — continues to slowly contract following a dip in the previous quarter. Counterpoint estimated that shipments slid by 2Â percent year-on-year in Q2 2015, but did rise 4Â percent quarter-on-quarter.