Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi’s market share in Europe has for the first time surpassed Apple’s in the first quarter of 2021, ranking second behind Samsung, according to Zeng Xuezhong, Vice President of Xiaomi. The brand’s shipments in Western Europe soared in the first quarter to take the third slot, while in Spain Xiaomi has been the biggest smartphone brand for five consecutive quarters. The brand had a 23% market share in the first quarter in Europe, according to Canalys, trailing after Samsung’s 35%. Apple’s market share reached 19%. In Western Europe, Xiaomi took up 17% of market share, ranking third  after Samsung and Apple. 

The increase of Xiaomi’s shipments in Europe is partly due to Huawei’s shrinking smartphone business, which was hit by the  U.S. microchips export ban. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Huawei’s smartphone shipments plunged 42% in the European market, compared to the same period in 2019. In the first quarter of 2021, Huawei’s sales dropped 16.5% to CNY152.2 billion, but the company still reported a higher profit due to strong sales in China. Chinese smartphone maker Oppo ranked fourth in the European market with a 4% market share, higher than Huawei’s 3%. In Western Europe, Oppo has also surpassed Huawei’s market share to rank fourth. Apple’s sales have been booming, increasing 54% from the same period last year, with double-digit growth in every product category listed in the report, the Global Times reports. 

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo unveiled a range of new products, including K9 smartphones and televisions, shortly after Oppo officially entered the Chilean and Colombian mobile markets. Liu Bo, President of Oppo China, said earlier that the company aims to be one of the three major players that dominate the USD600-plus market in the future.