Apple retakes second position in global smartphone market as overall shipments fall 6% in Q3: Canalys

NEW DELHI: Hit by chipset shortages, the global smartphone shipments tanked 6% in Q3 2021, research firm Canalys said on Friday. Samsung was the leading vendor with 69.4 million shipments and a 21% share.

Apple displaced smartphone giant Xiaomi to retake the second position in the global smartphone market on the back of strong sales of iPhone 13, shipping 49.2 million units and growing 14% year-on-year, the firm said.

“The iPhone 13 had a strong start,” said Canalys Research Analyst Le Xuan Chiew. “Pre-orders were high and, unlike last year, Apple could use the full might of its retail stores to drive sales. For customers with a two- or three-year-old iPhone, the devices have proved a compelling upgrade, with better cameras, battery life and, of course, 5G.”