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Another report says Xiaomi has overtaken Samsung in Europe, but only just

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Aug 04, 2021, 9:35 AM

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Another report says Xiaomi has overtaken Samsung in Europe, but only just

The smartphone market is awkward to analyze. Individual brands rarely share official shipment numbers, so it’s left to research firms to estimate the figures every few months. The results can differ, though overall they provide an idea of what the market looks like.

Yesterday, it was reported that Xiaomi had overtaken Samsung in Europe, and Counterpoint Research agrees, to an extent.

Samsung lost its European top spot in June

Smartphone shipments in Europe are said to have increased 33% in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. Most of that is attributed to the reopening of local economies.

On a quarterly basis, Counterpoint believes Samsung held on to its local crown with an average market share of 31% between April and June. That’s down from 35% twelve months earlier despite shipments rising 20% year-on-year.

Analysts at the research firm claim Samsung suffered “significant supply issues in May and June” due to factory shutdowns in Vietnam related to COVID-19, something that has started to impact shipments.

Galaxy sales across Europe plummeted 20% in June compared to May, enough to push it down into second place. Xiaomi was the main beneficiary. Counterpoint says Samsung’s issues should be short-lived, though.

Xiaomi is benefitting from Samsung's supply issues

Xiaomi finished the quarter with an average market share of 24%, according to the market data. That’s up an incredible 11 percentage points and was made possible by a 151% surge in smartphone shipments.

While that wasn’t enough to take the top spot, according to Counterpoint, its continued success coupled with Samsung’s aforementioned supply issues were enough to push it into first place in June. Specifically, Xiaomi is said to have accounted for 27.2% of all European smartphone shipments in June 2021, versus the 26.9% share attributed to Samsung for the same 30-day period.

Apple fell to third, but its market share is up

Apple rounded out the top 3 with a 20% share in Q2 2021. That’s up from 17% a year earlier on a 55% boost to shipments, though it wasn’t enough to retain its position as the second-largest brand in Europe.

As for why Apple’s shipments increased so much… Well, that was a combination of higher overall demand and the incredible success that it has seen since launching the iPhone 12 series last fall.

Shipments are likely to decline more in the third quarter due to the approaching iPhone 13 launch. Nevertheless, a massive jump is expected globally in the fourth quarter of 2021. Rumor has it that Apple has ordered 20% more iPhones than usual.

Oppo and its subsidiaries continue to grow

Oppo only entered the European smartphone market a couple of years ago, but it has already solidified its position as the fourth-largest smartphone brand by volume in the region.

Counterpoint says Oppo now holds a 7% market share, up from 3% twelve months ago following a huge increase in shipments of 235%. But if you think that’s impressive, wait until you hear about OnePlus and Realme’s growth numbers.

Oppo was the fifth-largest manufacturer in Europe with a 3% slice of the pie. Its shipments have soared 304% year-on-year following the success of the Nord series and flagship OnePlus 9 line.

As for Realme, its focus on affordable devices has paid off. Market share doubled from 1% to 2% last quarter and shipments rose 415% year-on-year, enough to surpass former smartphone giant Huawei.

Goodbye, Huawei

Speaking of Huawei, it has almost completely exited the European smartphone market. A year ago it accounted for 10% of all shipments in the region, but in the second quarter of 2021 its share fell to 1%.

Former subsidiary Honor has faced a similar fate. The brand held a market share of 6% twelve months ago but now accounts for a measly 1% of shipments.