Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi surpassed Apple in the second quarter to become the world’s No. 2 smartphone maker,  research firm Canalys reported on Thursday. Xiaomi took the second spot for the first time with 17 percent share of worldwide smartphone shipments, up 3 percent from the previous quarter, according to the research firm. Global smartphone shipments grew 12 percent in the second quarter, led by Samsung with a 19 percent share, and Apple at third place with a 14 percent share. The average selling price of Xiaomi phones is about 40% to 75 percent cheaper compared with Samsung and Apple respectively, Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton said, adding that a major priority for Xiaomi this year is to grow sales of its high-end devices.

This is the first time ever Xiaomi took second place in the Canalys report. In the first quarter of 2021 and for all of 2020, Samsung and Apple were the world's top two smartphone brands. In 2019, Samsung and Huawei topped the list. Becoming the No. 2 vendors in the world is an "important milestone in Xiaomi's history," Lei Jun, founder, and CEO of Xiaomi said in a letter on Friday. The company’s shipments increased more than than 300% in Latin America, 150 percent Africa and 50 percent in Western Europe, the report said.

The average selling price of Xiaomi phones is about 40 percent to 75 percent cheaper as compared to smartphones like Samsung and Apple, respectively, Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton said. The Canalys report showed that Samsung remained on top with a steady growth of 15 percent in year-on-year shipments, while Xiaomi’s global shipments grew by a massive 83 percent gloabally.

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