Samsung reclaims smartphone crown from Apple; Xiaomi surges

Bengaluru

SAMSUNG Electronics snatched back the crown from Apple as the world's biggest smartphone producer, accounting for a fifth of overall global sales in the first quarter, market research firm Canalys said.

China's Xiaomi clocked its best quarterly performance, with shipments surging 62 per cent to 49 million phones and market share to 14 per cent, taking it to third position after Samsung and Apple. Global sales surged 27 per cent to 347 million units in Q1 as China's economy opened up after the pandemic and a swift vaccine roll-out in the US raised hopes of an economic recovery.

South Korea's Samsung shipped 76.5 million smartphones in the quarter to grab a 22 per cent share of the market, Canalys said.

The company on Thursday reported a 66 per cent surge in quarterly profit in its mobile business, thanks to robust sales of its flagship Galaxy S21 smartphone series.

Canalys said Apple shipped 52.4 million iPhones in the January-March period, falling to the second spot with a 15 per cent market share, after having wowed Chinese shoppers in the December quarter with its new 5G-enabled iPhone 12. People upgrading to the new iPhone still drove sales though, and the company said on Wednesday that overall sales to China nearly doubled.

Last year, people shopped for smartphones and gadgets as they stayed indoors because of Covid-19, fuelling a global shortage in semiconductor chips that has roiled industries including autos. March-quarter smartphone shipments for China's Oppo and Vivo brands also surged, Canalys said. China's Huawei, the former No. 1 that remains shackled by US sanctions, took seventh place with 18.6 million units after selling its Honor brand last year. REUTERS

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