The announcement caused a stir. On July 15, the Canalys institute placed the smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi for the first time on the second step of global terminal manufacturers. According to its survey, the Beijing group, with a 17% market share in the second quarter, has now exceeded Apple in volume (14%), but remains ahead of Samsung (19%). Nevertheless, with a posted growth of 83%, the one who, a year ago, was still only an outsider today has the ambition to dethrone the Korean.
For Ben Stanton, director of research at Canalys, this breakthrough of the Chinese brand can be explained firstly because the group “Has rapidly developed its activities abroad”, seeing its deliveries grow by 300% in Latin America, 150% in Africa and 50% in Western Europe.
For now, other benchmark industry analysts (IDC, Gartner, Counterpoint) place him on the third step of the podium, but all agree that he is the fastest growing player in this moment.
“Go towards more premium”
Removed in May from the blacklist of Chinese companies established by the United States for national security issues, Xiaomi – along with her compatriots Oppo and Vivo, who round out the world’s top 5 – took advantage of Huawei’s misadventures, a number of times one, which, still handicapped by US sanctions, has seen its global sales collapse. The three companies are also benefiting from a market revitalized by the arrival of 5G – new mobile technology – which promotes the renewal of personal equipment.
However, Xiaomi is not yet really playing in the big leagues. As the firm IDC notes, “On the low and mid-range, it is these Chinese brands that are benefiting the most from Huawei’s decline, while the high-end customer base is shifting to Samsung and Apple”. According to Canalys, the average selling price of smartphones is 40% lower than that of Samsung and 75% lower than that of Apple.
“Our ambition is to move towards more premium but we are going step by step”, agrees Guillaume Chaigneau, who heads the brand’s activities in France. A market that represents the switch that Xiaomi is trying to operate. This year, it released two high-end devices: the MI 11 (700 euros), and the MI 11 Ultra (1,200 euros). “But our playground is below 400 euros, and our best-sellers are between 200 and 300 euros”, agrees the manager.
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