Recent reports on smartphone sales for Q1 2021 have been announced, and it seemed that Xiaomi was just a few millimeters behind Apple to claim second place in the ranking of global market share. However, at least one monitoring company has already announced that Xiaomi is ahead of Cupertino’s company in a critical area for competition.

According to Canalys data for the first quarter of 2021, Xiaomi is leading Apple in Europe and is in second place in the rankings, following Samsung. Specifically, Xiaomi appears to represent 23% of the market share in the region, while Apple has 19%. The monitoring company adds that Xiaomi is showing an increase of 85% year-on-year in Europe, compared to Apple which is at 22%.

It is noteworthy that Xiaomi recently made its entrance into the European market and provides economical smartphones and more. However, Apple has at least a decade-long presence in the region and is characterized as a premium brand. Despite this, the fact remains an extremely significant victory for Xiaomi, given that the European market is one of the most important for smartphones.

The analysis company also notes that Xiaomi was in 3^rd place, as it narrowed the scope to Western Europe, representing 17% of the market, compared to Apple’s 25%. It is clear, therefore, that Eastern Europe is the culprit for Xiaomi’s growth in the broader European context.

Observing the above tables, it is also worth mentioning that Huawei has declining trends during this period, due to US sanctions. Huawei is in 5^th place in the rankings, with a 3% share of the European and West European market, while Oppo occupies the 4^th place, increasing by 153% and 197%. However, it is not clear if this company’s growth is due to its relatively recent entry into the European market, Huawei’s downturn, or other influencing factors.

What remains to be seen is whether Xiaomi will be able to maintain its position and if it will manage to surpass Samsung’s lead.