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We asked, you told us: Xiaomi is the next HUAWEI
The US trade ban against HUAWEI has pumped the brakes on the Chinese manufacturer’s global ambitions, as it’s forced to do without Google services. While this isn’t a problem in its home market of China, where Google services aren’t used, it’s a massive obstacle for its global markets.
The trade ban came as the company surpassed Apple for the number two spot in terms of global shipments, and as the company eyed Samsung for the number one spot. It does make you wonder who could pick up HUAWEI’s mantle and achieve a similar level of popularity, and it looks like most Android Authority readers have their eyes on a specific brand.
Is Xiaomi the new HUAWEI?
Last week, we asked Android Authority readers whether Xiaomi is the next HUAWEI in terms of popularity. 2,047 votes were cast on the website in total. We’ve tallied up the votes and 79.1% feel that Xiaomi is indeed the new HUAWEI, while almost 21% feel that Xiaomi won’t reach HUAWEI’s heights.
Xiaomi has already proven itself to be a top player in several markets in terms of market share. For one, the company has been number one in India for a while now. But the US trade ban against HUAWEI has opened the door for other Android brands, and it looks like Xiaomi has been the biggest beneficiary.
Q1 2020 shipment figures by Canalys show that Xiaomi is number one in Italy, beating Apple, HUAWEI, and Samsung. The research also shows that Xiaomi is now number four in Western Europe, with 79% year on year growth. Meanwhile, third-placed HUAWEI experienced a 40% drop, no doubt due to a combination of COVID-19 and a lack of new devices with Google services. So if the trend continues, we might see Xiaomi passing HUAWEI here.
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8/8T was also the most popular phone of Q1 2020 globally according to the tracking firm, coming in second overall behind the iPhone 11. Xiaomi had two more devices in the top ten while Samsung had four. HUAWEI devices weren’t listed in the top ten.
An increase in popularity also comes with more scrutiny though, whether Xiaomi fans like it or not. So the company will need to be squeaky clean if it wants to stay near the top.
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