One in four smartphones “sold” in Malaysia last year was a Xiaomi

Xiaomi is currently Malaysia’s number one smartphone brand according to the latest report by Canalys. The Chinese smartphone brand which is popular for offering value for money options has recorded a 93% annual growth while commanding a 25% unit share in Malaysia in 2021. In a nutshell, one in four smartphones “sold” in Malaysia is a Xiaomi device.

Taking second place in Malaysia is Samsung with a 22% share and the Korean smartphone maker has recorded a 32% annual growth. This is followed by BBK Electronics brands – Vivo, Oppo, and Realme, that command 18%, 16%, and 8% share respectively. The latest stats are based on “sell-in shipments” which involve transactions between the manufacturer and the retailer, rather than the consumer. According to the footnote, Oppo’s figures do not include OnePlus.

It is worth pointing out that Xiaomi also has other independent sub-brands such as Redmi and Poco, which are popular in the sub-RM1,000 smartphone segment. These devices often dominate major online sales events with significant discounts given on eCommerce platforms.

On the global level, Canalys reports 1.35 billion smartphones were shipped for the whole of 2021. Despite ongoing supply issues, the industry has shipped 7% more phones in 2021 compared to 2020. Globally, Samsung is still the #1 smartphone vendor shipping 274.5 million units while commanding a 20% market share. This is followed by Apple at second place with 230.1 million units and a market share of 17%. Xiaomi holds the #3 spot with a total of 191.2 million units shipped with a market share of 14%.

To maintain its momentum, Xiaomi Malaysia is launching the Redmi Note 11 series this coming Thursday which is expected to be priced from under RM1,000. For those looking for a flagship, they have recently launched the Xiaomi 12 series in China and there’s still no word on its international availability.