Xiaomi Surpasses Apple as Global No. 2, Tri-Fold Phone on the Way
Xiaomi surpasses Apple as the second largest smartphone brand globally. Discover their upcoming tri-fold phone and affordable 5G devices driving growth.
On the 10th of this month, Huawei officially launched its first tri-fold smartphone, which quickly drew attention. Many praised the innovation and craftsmanship behind this new screen design, positioning it as a top-tier product.
While many are eager to try this phone, the starting price of nearly 20,000 yuan is too steep for some potential buyers.
Recently, according to reports, Xiaomi has been granted a design patent for a tri-fold phone, as listed by China’s National Intellectual Property Administration on September 3rd. This patent, titled "Mobile Phone and Its Main Body," reveals Xiaomi's tri-fold phone design.
Xiaomi applied for the patent on December 21, 2022, but it was only recently made public.
Based on the design images, the new phone combines inward and outward folding, similar to Huawei's design.
The back of Xiaomi's tri-fold phone features a horizontally aligned camera setup with three cameras and an LED flash.
The phone also includes a microphone and speaker cutouts on the top, and a SIM slot, charging port, and speaker cutouts at the bottom.
However, it's important to note that this patent only covers the design. There's no official word yet on when the product will be announced or released, so those interested may need to wait.
Xiaomi’s phones usually offer great value for money, so when this tri-fold model hits the market, it’s expected to be more affordable.
Besides the patent news, market research firm Counterpoint Research recently reported that Xiaomi surpassed Apple in global smartphone sales in August, ranking second only to Samsung.
This marks the first time since August 2021 that Xiaomi has achieved second place in global shipments.
Although Xiaomi’s sales remained stable month-over-month, it performed better than Apple, which saw a seasonal decline.
Xiaomi has been one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in 2024, helping to revive the global market.
According to research director Tarun Pathak:
"This year, Xiaomi adopted a more streamlined product strategy, focusing on creating a flagship device for each price segment rather than flooding the market with multiple models.
Additionally, Xiaomi realigned its sales and marketing efforts, expanding into new markets while solidifying its position in existing ones.
Its entry-level to mid-range devices continued to perform well, and it successfully entered the high-end market with foldable and ultra-premium phones."
Xiaomi has also shown strength in the lower-end price range this year, particularly after launching the affordable 5G devices in the Redmi 13 and Note 13 series.
Redmi phones are especially popular in India, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and Africa, where market share has grown significantly.
In the Q2 2024 budget phone market rankings, Xiaomi, Samsung, and OPPO each took three spots, while the remaining spot went to Tecno.
The Redmi 13C series has been a huge success globally, driving steady growth for Xiaomi.
With Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon processor launching in October, Xiaomi is expected to release its new flagship model, likely leading to another surge in global sales. Stay tuned for that!