Xiaomi overtakes Samsung to take first place in European phone shipments in Q2 2021

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi continues to show solid growth. After overtaking Apple as the world’s second-largest smartphone supplier in the second quarter of 2021, it has now become Europe’s top seller for the first time, according to new figures from Strategy Analytics.

Xiaomi overtook Samsung to take the top spot in Europe, with 12.7 million phones shipped in the second quarter, up 67.1% year-over-year. Samsung’s shipments fell 7% over the same period to 12 million units, although the Korean company remains the world’s largest supplier of phones.

Global smartphone shipments to Europe increased in 2021 thanks to the post-COVID recovery, Strategy Analytics researchers say, with Apple also showing decent growth. The iPhone maker is up 15.7% from 2021 thanks to strong interest in the iPhone 12.

Image: Strategy analysis

Xiaomi’s focus on value, however, appears to have helped broaden its appeal in Europe. “Xiaomi has had great success in Russia, Ukraine, Spain and Italy, among others, and has found customers eager for its Mi and Redmi series of feature-rich and valuable smartphones,” said Boris Metodiev, director Strategy Analytics Partner, in a press release.

Xiaomi’s growth has also been aided by the demise of Huawei, which continues to exit the European market after its phones lost access to Android and Google services in 2019.

In one of our recent reviews of Xiaomi’s hardware, looking at the company’s flagship Mi 11, we were impressed with the phone’s value. “It costs less than the Galaxy S21 at $ 799 in the markets where it is sold, but in many ways it has more in common with the S21 Ultra at $ 1,199,” noted reviewer Sam Byford. “My biggest takeaway from the Mi 11 is that Samsung is lucky that Xiaomi doesn’t sell phones in the US. “

Perhaps, driven by its success in Europe, Xiaomi will now consider an American invasion.