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Huawei and LG leaving global smartphone market share up for grabs

Making way for Xiaomi to overtake Apple in the global market share leaderboards.

The decline of Huawei shipments and LG’s planned exit from the smartphone market is paving the way for other vendors to swoop in and bolster up their ranking in the global market share leaderboards.

This is according to research firm IDC, which found neither of the diminishing vendors to be in the top five for the second quarter of 2021. 

Much like claims from competing analysis firm Canalys, IDC found Samsung took out the top position for the quarter, followed by Xiaomi, Apple, Oppo and Vivo, with the global market growing overall by 13.2 per cent year-on-year to 313.2 million shipments during the period. 

In fact, Xiaomi’s success over Apple can be attributed to the decline in the prominence of Huawei and LG according to the firm. However, the vendors set to claw back that market share depends on the region, with the two vendors leaving gaps particularly in China and the US, respectively. 

However, this does not mean Apple wasn't successful in its own right. From Huawei’s absence, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Apple have the most to gain in the Chinese market, whereas Motorola, TCL and OnePlus have found success in the US over the last few years due to LG’s departure. 

"China's role in Apple's incredible growth in the last few quarters cannot be denied. Huawei had a significant share in the high-end segment in China, and with its massive decline, Apple remained the best option for consumers in this segment,” said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC's Mobile and Consumer Device Trackers. 

“In the previous quarter (1Q21), Apple had already captured 72 per cent share of the US$800 [and above] segment in China, with Huawei falling to just 24 per cent. This is a clear sign that other players in this market have not breached this price segment."  

Popal also said all Chinese brands are on the rise, highlighting Xiaomi as an example, which has made growth records for the quarter, with IDC claiming the vendor saw year-on-year growth of 86.6 per cent during the period. 

While not in the top five, realme saw the fastest year-on-year growth within the top 10 brands at 149 per cent, making more than three-quarters of its volume from outside of China. 

"As all these Chinese brands increase their focus in regions like Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa, the competition will only get more intense for the likes of Samsung and other players in those markets," Popal added.