Global smartphone shipments grew 12% YoY in Q2, with Xiaomi up 83% to take a 17% share and pushing past Apple to reach the second place for the first time ever
In Q2 2021, global smartphone shipments increased 12%, as vaccines rolled out around the world, and the new normal for economies and citizens started to take shape.
Context & Ripple Effects
Xiaomi’s jump marks a sharp share shift during a broader shipment recovery, putting Apple’s global ranking under immediate pressure. The position proved volatile: by Q4 2021, Apple held 22% of shipments while Xiaomi had 12%.
Later shipment reports show Xiaomi remained a significant growth driver even as the market’s leaders changed places: Xiaomi grew 33.8% in Q1 2024 while iPhone shipments fell, according to IDC’s Q1 2024 shipment report.
First-order effects
- Xiaomi moves into second place globally on a 17% share, directly displacing Apple from that rank.
- Xiaomi’s 83% shipment increase materially outpaces the 12% market expansion, increasing its share of the recovering smartphone market.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s displaced position makes subsequent shipment quarters a more consequential test of whether Xiaomi can retain share; the Q4 2021 figures show Apple regaining a substantial lead over Xiaomi.
- Xiaomi’s faster growth raises the competitive bar for Apple and other leading vendors: market recovery alone is insufficient when a rival is adding share faster than total demand.
Third-order effects
- If Xiaomi’s growth persists across market cycles, global smartphone leadership becomes less concentrated in a stable top two and more dependent on quarter-by-quarter share execution.
- The later pattern—Xiaomi growing while Samsung and Apple were mostly flat in 2024—points to a mature handset market where share gains increasingly come from incumbent displacement rather than overall market growth.
The trend: Global smartphone competition is shifting from broad market expansion toward contested share gains among established vendors, with Xiaomi repeatedly challenging the two largest brands.