Counterpoint: Xiaomi takes Apple’s second place in European smartphone market

Xiaomi is now number two in the smartphone market in Europe, claims analyst firm Counterpoint Research. Despite the release of the iPhone 13 series, Apple has to settle for third place.

Samsung remains the market leader in Europe, Counterpoint says. The market share of the South Korean manufacturer declined, from 35.8 percent in the same period a year ago to 30.4 percent. That could have been worse, but the Z Flip 3 folding phone proved popular in Western Europe and helped the company gain market share.

Xiaomi and Apple actually gained market share compared to last year. Xiaomi went from 15.5 to 23.6 percent, Apple rose from 17.6 to 22.1 percent. That may be partly due to the release cycle; this year the iPhones came out in the third quarter, that was in the fourth quarter last year.

The brands of BBK Electronics also increased. OPPO doubled its market share and reached 10.1 percent. This is partly because analysts have now added OnePlus to OPPO’s deliveries since the merger of both brands. Deliveries also rose sharply at realme and vivo. Motorola and Nokia saw small gains, while Huawei and Honor saw the stock collapse. This is of course because both brands released few phones and could no longer use Google services due to the US trade ban. Honor, now in the hands of a consortium led by the Shenzhen government, can do that again.

Smartphone manufacturers usually do not disclose exact figures on deliveries, especially not per continent. As a result, it is always based on estimates, which are based on various factors such as information from providers and retailers.