The global smartphone space witnessed Xiaomi turning the tables on Apple to grab the second position in the monthly sell-through volumes reported by Counterpoint Research for August 2024, a rather unexpected turn of events. Samsung is still firmly in the first position, with Apple now occupying the third position, which the leaping Xiaomi has stepped on.
Apple’s Seasonal Nullification XiaomiÂ
In August, Xiaomi was more than able to report an increase in their sales even when the overall figures for shipment remained flat. The reason for this change is the seasonal decline that Apple usually sees in its shipments, whereby during this period, consumers do not make orders in readiness for the iPhone 16 series. Such a cyclical trend is quite typical and expected in the run-up to the sales of waves of new iPhones that dampen Apple’s share of the whole market.
 Growth Performances in 2024
Xiaomi, however, managed to maintain the growth trend in 2024, accounting for a sales volume year-on-year growth of 22%. As the point research analysts further explain, the reasons for this have been very successful for Xiaomi operating at the sub-price level of 200, which is the volume of sales. Particularly, the Redmi 13 and Note 13 series contributed to Xiaomi’s position in the important markets of India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and the African region.
This increase confirms that Xiaomi is well positioned in the manufacturing of cheap smartphones, which remains its territory. At the same time, the other two competitors have shifted their focus towards high-end smartphones.
Xiaomi’s Foldable Phones Revolution
Achieving reasonably good sales is one thing; however, Xiaomi has also been rumored to develop a tri-fold phone, which is indicative of the future of smartphones. In the recent past, the tri-fold trend has gained momentum among Chinese smartphone vendors. For example, not so long ago, Huawei introduced its first tri-fold phone, and Tecno and Oppo have presented similar products.
Xiaomi filed its trademark design patent in December 2022, but it only became public recently at a very low probability level due to the bolstered XTS. This modification could help Xiaomi strengthen its position in the smartphone segment, offering state-of-the-art technology at reasonable prices.
The Future in Sight
Within innovations that have implications for the smartphone industry, in spite of stiff competition from Apple and Samsung, Xiaomi has a reasonable place for growth through its volume-driven growth of low-cost hardware offerings and gradual entry into tri-fold phones. In terms of global diffusion and increasing range of products, Xiaomi is very ready to take a step forward.
