Xiaomi falls to second place, Huawei takes smartphone throne

Who said that it gets lonely at the top? It's always a tough competition up there when you have very little distance between the closest rival. With almost neck-to-neck numbers when comparing two smartphone giants Xiaomi and Huawei, Huawei emerged as the top manufacturer. Previously considered as the number 1 smartphone manufacturer in China, Xiaomi, the f-year-old startup tech giant, has stepped down from the throne. Huawei is now enjoying the title after results mention that the company, for the first time, hit a whopping 81% year-on-year shipment growth in the China smartphone market. Huawei became China’s top smart phone vendor in Q3 2015, while Xiaomi fell to second place, according to Canalys estimates.

Research firm Canalys made the announcement on Wednesday, October 21 about the change in positions. ‘Huawei’s ascent to China’s smart phone throne is a remarkable feat, especially in the context of an increasingly cutthroat and maturing Chinese smart phone market,’ said Jessie Ding, a Research Analyst based in Canalys’ Shanghai office. ‘On the other hand, Xiaomi, with its worldwide target of 80 million smart phone shipments for 2015, is under tremendous pressure to keep growing as an international player as it is slowing down in its key home market.’ Canalys will publish its full country-level smart phone estimates and market analysis to clients at the end of October.

Canalys is an independent analyst company that strives to guide clients on the future of the technology industry and to think beyond the business models of the past.