Skip to main content

This Chinese phone maker wants to crush Samsung, and take its throne

Xiaomi may not be a name that’s all that familiar to you, but the smartphone manufacturer is selling a lot of hardware in China, and the select few other markets where its phones are available. New data shows it’s pushing the brands we know aside in its home territory, and the CEO is feeling very positive about the future, to the point where he confidently talks about becoming the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer, perhaps in just five years time.

CEO Lei Jun spoke at the World Internet Conference in China, and discussed Xiaomi’s incredible progress since its formation in 2010. Lei said there are 70 million Xiaomi users at the moment, and if current growth patterns remain true, that number will become 200 million next year. Ambitiously, he said the opportunity was there for momentum to carry the firm to the world’s number one spot, overtaking Samsung and Apple. He estimated it could happen in five to ten years time.

Recommended Videos

A local transcript of the speech quotes Lei on the subject of an international launch for Xiaomi products. He indicates only when the firm becomes the world’s number one manufacturer will it have the ability to expand globally. Bloomberg describes a frantic scene at the conference during and soon after Lei’s keynote speech, to which he arrived late and spoke for just three minutes. He didn’t stick around afterwards, and reporters pursued him out of the room to ask further questions.

Xiaomi is China’s number one smartphone manufacturer, and new data revealed by Baidu, China’s biggest search engine, shows it’s still growing. What’s interesting is Xiaomi’s growth isn’t at the expense of other local brands such as Oppo and Huawei, but at LG, Sony, Samsung and Apple. Xiaomi has recently launched its products in India, under the watch of former Google VP Hugo Barra, which Lei says is already becoming its largest overseas market. Projections suggest India’s smartphone market will be have the largest growth in the world next year.

Even with its front row seat in these two highly important markets, how likely is Xiaomi to become world number one? The most recent data puts its global market share at 5 percent, compared to Samsung’s 25 percent and Apple’s 11 percent, so it still has plenty of work to do.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Honor 400 series phones will turn pictures into fun videos using AI
Person using the cameras on a Honor 400 series phone.

Chinese smartphone brand, Honor, is usually at the helm of camera-centric smartphone innovations and delivering ultra-slim foldable phones. For its next adventure, the company is also embracing a playful side of AI that turns still images into short clips. 

Leveraging the Google Cloud AI stack, the new feature will make its debut on the upcoming Honor 400 series smartphones. Set for an official launch on May 22, the Honor 400 and its Pro trim will come equipped with a massive 200-megapixel AI-enhanced camera, as well.

Read more
Leaked iPhone 17 cases show just how big camera bump could be on Pros
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Render

There have been plenty of rumors surrounding the next phones expected from Apple before the year is out. Many are suggesting Apple is planning to launch an iPhone 17 alongside the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models, whilst also introducing a super slim iPhone in order to compete with Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge. 

Multiple renders have leaked of all the rumored Apple devices, giving us an idea as to what we might be able to expect come September when they are expected to be revealed, and now a set of case images have leaked supporting the previous renders.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 may feature a surprise hardware return after all
A person using the open Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.

With the launch of any new Samsung phone comes the will-they-won’t-they debate around Exynos hardware. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 – expected to launch in July 2025 – is no different, with new information suggesting that Samsung’s next folding phone will be Exynos powered.

The details come from a leaker who has given us useful information in the past. Jukanlosreve has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to say that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 will use an Exynos chip, while the Flip 7 FE will not.

Read more