Chinese phone manufacturer Xiaomi sold the most 5G smartphones in Central and Eastern Europe in the third quarter of 2021, leapfrogging Apple and Samsung to reach the top spot thanks to the popularity of its budget phone models, reports Caixin.
Between July and September, Xiaomi’s share of the region’s 5G phone market jumped to 41.8% from 4.3% in the same period last year, according to a report published Tuesday by Strategy Analytics.
“Xiaomi is expected to maintain its lead in Central and Eastern Europe region for the full-year 2021 and remain the 5G smartphone shipment leader in 2022,” said Yiwen Wu, a senior analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Wu put Xiaomi’s lead down to the absence of Huawei Technologies and the popularity of its cheaper, but still high-quality 5G phones such as the Redmi Note 9T 5G and Mi 11 5G.
