Apple Slips to Fourth Place for Smartphone Market Share, Overtaken by Xiaomi

Apple has shipped 10.6 percent fewer iPhones year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020, meaning that it has been overtaken by Xiaomi for the first time, according to new data shared by IDC.

Apple iphone 11 rosette family lineup

The report details how Apple is now ranked as the fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer by market share. This is the first time that Apple has ranked fourth, with Xiaomi, Huawei, and Samsung exceeding Apple's 11.8 percent share.

In total, Apple is believed to have shipped 41.2 million devices in the third quarter, which is five million less than the same time last year.

The drop was expected on the back of the delay in launching the iPhone 12 lineup, which usually appears in the third quarter. Irrespective of the belated arrival of the ‌iPhone‌ 12, the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and ‌iPhone‌ SE contributed to the majority of Apple's volume and performed "exceptionally well."

Going forwards, IDC expects Apple to grow in coming quarters due to strong early demand for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and solid trade-in offers from major carriers, particularly within the United States.

idc q3 2020

Samsung reclaimed the top position with a market share of 22.7 percent, shipping over 80 million smartphones. Huawei followed with a 14.7 percent share, and this was a significant reduction of 40 percent year-on-year. vivo also returned to the top five with a market share of 8.9 percent.

Xiaomi overtook Apple for the first time with a market share of 13.1 percent, achieving a 42 percent growth. The rise is supposedly due to strong gains in India and China.

Overall, the global smartphone market declined by only 1.3 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020. The results were stronger than IDC's previous forecast of a nine percent year-over-year decline. An important trend was the strength of shipments in India, which is the second-largest market globally, and other emerging markets, such as Brazil, Indonesia, and Russia.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...

Top Rated Comments

LeeW Avatar
61 months ago
The world is changing (has changed) and will continue changing. The effects of COVID will be long felt. Whilst there will still be a good demand for iPhones, the demand for cheaper handsets will always be stronger.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
61 months ago
Investors want to see profitability and margin, not volume, and that is where Apple still holds a large lead.

China is the latest and largest market for consumer goods, so it makes sense that a company that has focused on the Chinese market from day 1 would see this level of growth, with their product line having a lower margin but being more affordable.

EDIT: For anyone curious, you can Google it yourself (if you want additional sources), but one article discussing Apple vs. competitor profits in the smartphone arena:

https://www.counterpointresearch.com/apple-continues-lead-global-handset-industry-profit-share/
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
61 months ago

They deserve it. The long delays in shipping multiple Apple products are inadmissible. And this is not due to the pandemic, this happens every single year to a greater or lesser extent. Not professional at all and unexpected coming from one of the biggest and richest companies in the world. Shame on Apple!
What are you even talking about? In case you missed the earnings call, Apple is doing exceptionally well, particularly given the pandemic environment the economy is operating in. The pandemic shook up the world and economy in many ways, and the fact Apple was still able to deliver products consistent with dates from prior years (without a pandemic existing) is a testament to their success.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LeeW Avatar
61 months ago

Investors want to see profitability and margin, not volume, and that is where Apple still holds a large lead.
Volume is important though, the change in direction by Tim to focus on services requires volume to grow profitability and margin. That is why you are seeing the Homepod Mini, cheaper than before handset options and so on, if he cant' drive up the volume it won't work.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apparatchik Avatar
61 months ago
If Apple wasnt the largest public traded company this would be a throwback to the early 2thousands, before the iPhone, etc when Apple was considered a cool underdog with expensive but different computers.

Bring on the AS macs already Apple, could you? :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GermanSuplex Avatar
61 months ago
Apple is not sweating this at all. Their ecosystem is tight and their profits huge. It’s fun for bragging rights, but dollars and profit margins are where the real story is.

You also don’t want saturation, because you will have nowhere to go but down. If lots of people are buying phones other than Apples, but Apple is still having high profits, it means there’s still tons of room for growth.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)