Xiaomi Leads European Smartphone Market for the First Time Without Huawei... Samsung Falls Behind

[Asia Economy Reporter Joeslgina] Chinese company Xiaomi has risen to first place in the European smartphone market for the first time in history in the second quarter. It has fully taken over the spot left vacant by Huawei, which faced difficulties in smartphone supply due to U.S. sanctions. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics was the only top 5 manufacturer whose shipment volume declined in the second quarter.

According to market research firm Strategy Analytics (SA) on the 2nd (local time), the shipment volume of the European smartphone market in the second quarter recorded 50.1 million units, a 14% increase compared to the same period last year.

By manufacturer, Xiaomi shipped 12.7 million units, a staggering 67.1% increase from a year ago. Its market share was 25.3%, ranking first. SA stated, "The highlight of this quarter is that Xiaomi rose to the top spot in shipments for the first time," adding, "It ousted long-time leader Samsung and shipped nearly 13 million units in Europe." Xiaomi showed particular strength in Russia, Ukraine, Spain, and Italy.

During the same period, Samsung Electronics shipped 12 million units, securing second place with a market share of 24.0%. Samsung's shipment volume decreased by 7% compared to the same period last year, the only decline among the top five manufacturers in the European market. Neil Mawston, Managing Director of SA, explained, "Although Samsung is performing well with the new Galaxy A series 5G models, competition is fierce with Apple in the premium market and Chinese manufacturers in the budget segment, causing Samsung to fail to fill Huawei's vacant spot."

Apple ranked third with shipments approaching 10 million units. It shipped 9.6 million units, a 15.7% growth from a year ago, capturing a 19.2% market share. Apple's first 5G smartphone series, the iPhone 12, released in the second half of last year, remains popular especially among loyal Apple customers, driven by device replacement demand.

Following were Chinese companies Oppo (2.8 million units, 5.6%) and Realme (1.9 million units, 3.8%), ranking fourth and fifth respectively. Realme succeeded in entering the top five thanks to the launch of the Realme 8 series. The shipment volumes of the two companies grew by 180% and 1800% respectively compared to the same period last year.

SA stated, "The rebound in the European smartphone market is supported by continuous economic recovery, replacement demand due to device aging, and demand for affordable 5G smartphones."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.