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Report: Xiaomi just passed HUAWEI in Europe for Q2 2020
- Xiaomi has reportedly passed HUAWEI for third position in Europe.
- Samsung remained number one in the region, although it saw a major decline too.
- Apple and Xiaomi were the only two brands in the top five to record year-on-year growth.
Huawei made headlines last week after multiple reports confirmed that it passed Samsung in Q2 2020 to become the biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world. It’s believed that China’s COVID-19 recovery helped HUAWEI in a big way, but it looks like the firm may have taken a hit in Europe.
Canalys has revealed its Q2 2020 rankings for Europe, listing the top five manufacturers in the region. And it found that HUAWEI dropped from the number three spot to the number four spot, being overtaken by Xiaomi.
Canalys said the brands each accounted for 17% of European shipments in the quarter. It also told Android Authority that Xiaomi shipped 7.1 million units in Europe during this period, being ahead of HUAWEI by roughly 100,000 units. HUAWEI saw a year-on-year decline of 17% while Xiaomi saw growth of 65% compared to a year ago. Check out the graphic in the tweet below.
📱The European smartphone market decline narrows in Q2 2020, as shipments recover slowly from the impact of strict lockdown. @Apple posted the strongest Q2 ever in shipments while @Xiaomi displaced HUAWEI to the become the third largest smartphone vendor in Europe. pic.twitter.com/dW3xJLPXGL— Canalys (@Canalys) August 5, 2020
Samsung was still on top in Europe, accounting for 30% of shipments in the quarter. However, the Korean manufacturer saw a year-on-year decline of 31%. In fact, Canalys said Xiaomi and second-placed Apple were the only brands in the top five to record year-on-year growth in Europe during this time.
Presumably Xiaomi’s bigger push in Europe and portfolio of cheaper devices helped it stand out in the region, with the latter being particularly important during this time of added economic pressure. Apple also launched the more affordable iPhone SE 2020 during this period, coming in at €479.
Canalys analyst Mo Jia told Android Authority that both brands endured a tough April and May, but said Xiaomi enjoyed a “tremendous” June. The analyst attributed Xiaomi’s performance to the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 9 series. Jia also noted that HUAWEI still held a lead over Xiaomi in Western Europe, while the budget-focused brand was number two in Eastern Europe behind Samsung.
This would be a significant but perhaps unsurprising blow to HUAWEI’s growth outside China if confirmed. However, the brand has increasingly focused on its home market following the trade ban against it, with China reportedly accounting for over 70% of its smartphone shipments in Q2 2020.
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