Apple beaten by Xiaomi for the first time ever in smartphone market share, drops to 4th spot

Apple has shipped 41.2 million devices in the third quarter of 2020 which is five million less than what they had shipped the same time last year.

This is the first time Xiaomi has overtaken Apple achieving a 42% growth. The rise is supposedly due to strong gains in India and China.  (REUTERS)

For the first time ever, Apple has been overtaken by Xiaomi in smartphone market shares. Apple shipped 10.6% fewer iPhones in the third quarter of 2020 as compared to the same period last year, according to IDC data.

IDC data mentions that Apple now ranks fourth in the list of smartphone manufacturers by market share rankings. This is the first time Apple has ranked fourth with Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi beating Apple's 11.8% share.

In total, according to reports, Apple has shipped 41.2 million devices in the third quarter of 2020 which is five million less than what they had shipped the same time last year.

This drop in numbers was expected on the grounds that the iPhone 12 series was delayed. Apple usually has its new iPhones dropping by the third quarter of the year (usually in September). The new iPhone 12 devices aside, the older iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE contributed to the majority of Apple's sales and performed “exceptionally well”.

Overall, the global smartphone market declined by only 1.3% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020. The results were stronger than IDC's previous forecast of a 9% year-over-year decline. (IDC)

Overall, the global smartphone market declined by only 1.3% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020. The results were stronger than IDC's previous forecast of a 9% year-over-year decline. (IDC)

The IDC report predicts that Apple will be growing in the coming quarters due to “strong early demand for the iPhone 12 and solid trade-in offers from major carriers, particularly in within the United States”.

Samsung was on top of the lists with a market share of 22.7% after shipping over 80 million smartphones. Huawei followed at a 14.7% which was a significant reduction (40% year-on-year), followed by Xiaomi at 13.1%, then Apple with 11.8%. The last name in the top five lot is Vivo wit ha 8.9%.

This is the first time Xiaomi has overtaken Apple achieving a 42% growth. The rise is supposedly due to strong gains in India and China, says MacRumours.

Overall, the global smartphone market declined by only 1.3% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020. The results were stronger than IDC's previous forecast of a 9% year-over-year decline. An important trend was the strength of shipments in India, which is the second-largest market globally, and other emerging markets, such as Brazil, Indonesia, and Russia.