You told us: Here's how much faith you have in Xiaomi staying ahead of Samsung

Xiaomi has taken some large strides over the past couple of months. The biggest validation of its success came recently when it surpassed Samsung to become the number one smartphone seller in the world. That’s a huge accomplishment from where Xiaomi was just a few years ago.

Many factors came together to ensure Xiaomi’s climb to the top. My colleague Hadlee Simons discusses some of those reasons for Xiaomi’s meteoric rise in this article. But given Xiaomi’s feat in overpowering Samsung, we thought of asking our readers if they think the company would be able to maintain its leading position in the market. Here’s how they voted in our poll and what they had to say.

Do you think Xiaomi can stay ahead of Samsung?

Results

1,421 readers voted in our poll to express their opinion about Xiaomi’s ability to hold on to the top smartphone seller spot. 66.6% of the voters have full faith in the company and feel it will retain its winning title, leaving Samsung behind. However, 33.3% of the respondents are skeptical and feel the Chinese OEM won’t be able to sustain its lead over Samsung.

One potential pitfall for Xiaomi raised by some readers is that the brand’s phones aren’t supported with software updates for the same length of time as Samsung devices. Some users also bemoaned Xiaomi’s lack of availability in the US.

Your comments

Gaylord Foacker: Samsung keeps dropping the ball lately with overpriced phones, cheaper material choices for less expensive units, fragile or brittle foldable’s, & all but dropping their 2nd biggest series- the Note line. If Xiaomi was readily available as Samsung’s offerings in the states, the margin would be even bigger.

Stanley Kubrick: If Xiaomi were to bring their phones to the USA with the same pricing they have now…then yes, I believe they could easily stay on top…for a few years until they get arrogant like ALL companies get when they become too successful. Then some other company will take their place.

Patrick Mac: There is the excitement of getting an affordable Xiaomi device with snappy MIUI and then there’s that ‘what’s next?’ feeling that comes after around 1 or 2 years of usage. This is where Xiaomi really needs to improve. I jumped from Xiaomi to Samsung because I needed the latest flagship but spending over $1000 on Mi 11 Ultra just to get 2 years of software updates and inferior trade-in value didn’t look like a good investment. That said, Xiaomi is a good brand and if they improved on their user experience, they would make the gap bigger. The latest ranking has greatly been influenced by new customers and to establish loyalty, Xiaomi needs to do more to keep those customers coming back for the brand. Releasing devices with Bugs and short software support can really harm those numbers. On the other hand, prolonged software support, fine-tuned software, and better trade-in deals can also lead to more numbers. Maybe they can also convince people who’ve left to come back and make their top spot more permanent.

Also read: Everything you need to know about buying Xiaomi devices

Marshall: You just had to look at Samsung’s mid-rangers of 2018-19-20 to learn why Xiaomi ate so much of its lunch; there were too many trade-offs, the build was sub-par and the pricing was too high. During ’21, Samsung has come to its senses a bit… its recent midrange efforts have been getting better and available at a price you might actually want to pay. Xiaomi would really benefit from an increased North American presence… something to really sink rubbish like those DOOGEEs and Blackviews. While Xiaomi is capable of staying in front, it’s anything but a sure thing.

Cosmo Benis: I have owned 3 Xiaomi phones and love what Xiaomi has to offer. The problem is that their American network band support is lacking. When they start to support all ATT and T-Mobile bands, they will take the US by storm. I can’t wait.

Flashes: Samsung only has themselves to blame for losing the top spot. After HUAWEI’s ban, they got complacent, releasing poor midrange phones which were overpriced. This opened the door for Xiaomi, OPPO, and other Chinese companies. Samsung needs to wake up if they want to stop their decline.

IS Money: By all means, Xiaomi (and its supporters) should celebrate its victory (however short it is), but best believe we Samsung lovers know it’s going down very soon.

Joe Black: It certainly can, but BBK and attempts to upgrade the “HUAWEI ban” might catch up with Xiaomi pretty quickly.