Chinese phone maker Xiaomi is poised to overtake Huawei this year to become the world's third-largest smartphone vendor, Strategy Analytics said in a new research report.
Xiaomi is doing well in India and Russia, and has strong momentum in Central, Eastern, and Western Europe, the report said.
In the Asia Pacific, Vivo, Xiaomi, and OPPO will be the top three through fierce marketing, expanded channel reach, and competitive pricing, the report said.
The report expects global smartphone shipments to rebound 6.5 percent year-on-year to 1.38 billion units in 2021.
In Africa and the Middle East, Transsion will overtake Samsung as the largest vendor, and Xiaomi will overtake Apple as the third.
In Western Europe, Xiaomi will come in behind Apple and Samsung and will consolidate its third-place position.
The report predicts that Covid-19 is gradually getting under control and the improving economic situation will drive the growth of cell phone shipments this year.
The growing number of older smartphones and the migration of operators and manufacturers to 5G will also help this market.
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(Source: Strategy Analytics)