Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is back at the top and has reclaimed its throne as the world’s biggest smartphone maker from Apple in the first quarter of 2021, and now has a fifth of overall global shipments.
Huawei’s recent decline has brought up China’s Xiaomi Corp which is now number three with its best quarterly performance ever as shipments surged 62% to 49 million phones and its market share rose to 14%, market research firm Canalys said.
Overall, global shipments surged 27% to 347 million units in the first quarter as the Chinese economy opened up after the pandemic and a swift vaccine rollout in the United States raised hopes of an economic recovery.
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Samsung shipped 76.5 million smartphones in the quarter taking hold of 22% share of the market, Canalys said. The company on Thursday reported a 66% surge in quarterly profit in its mobiles business, thanks to robust sales of its flagship Galaxy S21 series smartphone. read more
In the January-March period, Apple shipped 52.4 million iPhones falling to the second spot with a 15% share of the market. At the end of 2020, Apple’s shipments hit 90.1 million phones, a record for any quarter, giving it global market share of 23.4%.
However, Apple managed to grab a record market share in the United States, India, China, and Japan, Counterpoint analyst adding that the iPhone Pro Max was a top seller in the United States.
Smartphone sales have surged over the past year as people did more of remote work due to the global pandemic. But the shopping frenzy has fuelled a global shortage in semiconductor chips that has roiled industries including autos and large appliances.
March-quarter smartphone shipments for China’s Oppo and Vivo brands also surged, Canalys said. But Huawei, the former No. 1 that remains shackled by U.S. sanctions, took only seventh place after selling its Honor brand last year.
