Xiaomi beats Samsung in Chinese smartphone market

Xiaomi has overtaken Samsung Electronics Co. to become the biggest smartphone maker in China. Market research firm Canalys said Tuesday that Xiaomi sold 15 million smartphones in China during the second quarter, more than a three-fold surge from a year earlier.

Xiaomi has overtaken Samsung Electronics Co. to become the biggest smartphone maker in China.

Market research firm Canalys said Tuesday that Xiaomi sold 15 million smartphones in China during the second quarter, more than a three-fold surge from a year earlier.

Canalys said Samsung's China smartphone sales decreased to 13.2 million units from 15.5 million a year earlier.

Xiaomi is little known in Europe or in North America as it sells nearly all of its smartphones in mainland China.

Canalys said China was the world's largest smartphone market during the period, with nearly four in every 10 smartphones sold there.

Samsung and Apple Inc. were the only non-Chinese vendors in the top 10.