Xiaomi is a name that is still very foreign in the Western smartphone market, though they have recently been on the radar courtesy of their bold “Hunger Marketing” campaigns which generally result in thousands of devices being sold in not much time at all. While that in itself may not be impressive news to you, you may need to start paying a bit more attention to to the Chinese manufacturer as Xiaomi leapfrogs Apple for the number two spot in the Chinese smartphone market. From January, 2014 to May, 2014, a Kantar WorldPanel report says that Xiaomi has comfortably overtaken Apple, capturing a 21% market share compared to Apple’s 16% in the rapidly expanding market. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, Samsung‘s share in China sits at 23% which may eventually start getting eaten into by Xiaomi.
There is a small amount of irony in Xiaomi leapfrogging Apple when the Chinese manufacturer was often referred to as the “Apple of China”. Though where Apple aims for the premium market, Xiaomi’s products offer flagship performance for ridiculously low prices; case in point, Xiaomi’s latest flagship, the Mi4, costs only $320 USD for a device powered by a Snapdragon 801. In fact, so impressive are Xiaomi’s products that Kantar is reporting that 70% of its buyers are switching from a device made by a different manufacturer (mostly Samsung), with another 20% upgrading from an older Xiaomi device.
What do you think about Xiaomi’s success in China? Do you think they could do well in the Western markets? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: Kantar via Phone Arena
