Despite going through setbacks in terms of production due to the current pandemic, the race to the top still rages on for smartphone vendors. In a surprising outcome, market analyst firm Gartner has reported that Xiaomi has earned a spot in the top three leaders of smartphone sales during the third quarter of 2020, overtaking iPhone maker Apple.
According to the report, the Chinese company’s sale of smartphones has seen an increase of 12.1% at 44.4 million, where it previously recorded at 32.9 million a year earlier. Apple, on the other hand, also gained a share at 40.6 million sales but saw a slight dip this year when compared to the amount of iPhones sold in 2019.
Meanwhile, still on top is Korean tech company Samsung who is currently leading at 80.8 million sales, which is a 22% increase from last year. In second, Huawei retains its runner-up spot as before but recorded a drop from 65.8 million smartphones to just 51.8 million in 2020. Which is unsurprising due to the recent US sanctions, which also resulted in the company’s recent decision to sell off its subsidiary brand HONOR in order to minimise losses.
Gartner added that Xiaomi gained from Huawei’s shortcomings and achieved a strong increase of smartphone sales, especially in China. The report also noted that Apple’s dip in sales were mainly due to its delayed shipment of the new 2020 iPhones. Compared to the year prior, the Cupertino-based company would typically ship out its phones in mid or late September, but this year’s release only commenced 4 weeks after the announcement.
It is possible that the final quarter results might surprise us even further. Given Huawei’s current predicament, there’s a chance that it may lose its second place in the largest smartphone vendor race if Xiaomi continues to increase its sales during the period. That being said, Apple could also see a steady climb as its latest iPhone range is now available for consumers to purchase.
