Gartner reported smartphone sales spikes up 10.8% in the second quarter of 2021 where end users totaled 328.8 year over year. Despite supply constraints caused by COVID-19-related production disruptions and component shortages, global mobile phone sales increased by 10.2 percent.
“Reinforced shelter-in-place instructions and factory shut-downs in India and Vietnam due to the second wave of COVID-19, along with the closure of retail businesses and restrictions on online deliveries affected smartphone sales negatively in the second quarter after a strong start in beginning of 2021,” said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner.
Further said, “However, regions with higher penetration of 5G connectivity saw strong demand for 5G smartphones and were growth drivers for leading smartphone vendors.”
Samsung expanded its 5G smartphone selection in the second quarter of 2021 to target growth potential in 5G sectors at entry and midrange rates. Among the top five worldwide smartphone vendors, the business remained in first place (see Table 1). Samsung’s year-over-year growth decreased due to supply restrictions and production hiccups, despite the fact that it remains the market leader.
Table 1. Worldwide Top 5 Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor in 2Q21 (Thousands of Units)
| Vendor | 2Q21 Units | 2Q21 Market Share (%) | 2Q20 Units | 2Q20 Market Share (%) |
| Samsung | 57,748.4 | 17.6 | 54,759.4 | 18.4 |
| Xiaomi | 51,073.1 | 15.5 | 28,288.6 | 9.5 |
| Apple | 49,258.2 | 15.0 | 38,386.1 | 12.9 |
| OPPO | 33,634.1 | 10.2 | 23,612.1 | 8.0 |
| Vivo | 32,224.0 | 9.8 | 22,751.5 | 7.7 |
| Others | 104,930.6 | 31.9 | 129,141.9 | 43.5 |
| Total | 328,868.5 | 100 | 296,939.6 | 100 |
Due to rounding, some figures may not add up to the totals shown.
Source: Gartner (September 2021)
In the second quarter, Xiaomi overtook Apple in global smartphone sales, putting Xiaomi in second place for the first time. Xiaomi’s smartphone sales increased by 80.5 percent thanks to a greater online presence and rapid expansion outside of Asia/Pacific, aided by investments in retail channels and collaborations with communication service providers (CSPs). Apple’s sales surged 28.3 percent year over year, while its market share increased 2.1 percent.
“While demand for iPhone 12 series smartphones remained strong in the key 5G driven markets, aggressive sales promotion for iPhone 11 series smartphones added to its growth in the price-sensitive segment,” said Gupta.
In the second quarter of 2021, other Chinese smartphone vendors Oppo and Vivo grew 42.4 percent and 41.6 percent, respectively. Oppo’s expansion in Western Europe was aided by aggressively priced mid-tier smartphones, a larger distribution network, and aggressive marketing efforts. Vivo is expanding its market footprint outside of Asia/Pacific, with an emphasis on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
“Demand for smartphones continued to be strong in this quarter as buyers preferred higher specifications and better user experience. The pent-up demand from 2020 continues to drive advantage for global smartphone vendors in 2021,” said Gupta.
