Xiaomi photo:VCG

China's Xiaomi has become the third largest smartphone vendor in Japan, a market known for its deep moat, as a Chinese industry expert said the situation reflected Chinese products' rising competitiveness.

Xiaomi is now the third largest vendor in Japan in terms of shipments, as the company accounts for 6 percent of the market in the second quarter, with its shipment skyrocketing by 359 percent year-on-year, the company announced on the X social messaging platform on August 6.

Xiaomi trails Apple's 56 percent market share and Google's 12 percent in the second quarter.

Sharp, which saw its shipments drop by 27 percent year-on-year during the quarter to account for a 5-percent market share, ceded its place to Xiaomi. 

South Korea's Samsung ranked the fifth with a market share of 5 percent.

Xiaomi smartphone's performance in Japan is significant, as the Japanese market is known to be a tough market for foreign brands.

The presence of strong local brands, a myriad of unique user habits and local apps, and a strong pride in made-in-Japan by local consumers have meant penetration by foreign electronic brands are not going to be easy.

Ma Jihua, a senior industry analyst, told the Global Times on Sunday that Xiaomi's performance in Japan has demonstrated that time and overall competitiveness of Chinese products have eventually made a dent in the mind of Japanese consumers.

"This trend may continue," Ma said, "as more highly competitive Chinese products make inroads into the Japanese market."

Lu Weibing, partner and president of Xiaomi, wrote on his Sina Weibo, a X-like service, that the Japanese market is "extremely difficult to break into, and we will continue to press on."

Ma said in the future, Chinese automotive brands may enter the Japanese market, as consumer perceptions gradually change in favor of made-in-China products that offer good quality, price and service.

"Currently, Chinese automotive plants already make some vehicles for Japanese brands which then sell them in Japan. The day when Chinese carmakers directly sell their cars in Japan is not far away," Ma said.

According to Canalys' latest research, Xiaomi is the world's third largest smart phone vendor with a 15-percent market share in the second quarter of 2024 as the global smartphone market sales have rebounded for three consecutive quarters.

Samsung remained the global leader with an 18-percent market share while Apple ranked second with a 16-percent market share.