The lower number may not be a surprise to Xiaomi, judging by it recently changing its tune last month, declaring that the company “does not emphasize goals such as smartphone sales anymore.”
The company is still growing, just not as fast as some would like. It managed 14-percent growth in 2015, going from 61 million to 70 million sales. That makes Xiaomi the second largest smartphone vendor in China, behind Huawei with 100 million total sales.
Xiaomi made a lot of progress expanding its business in 2015, both in global operations and mobile devices on sale. It started sales in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Brazil in 2015, and even launched an accessory store in the U.S. that might one day sell smartphones.
It launched 12 smartphones in 2015, the most it ever has in one year, however its main flagship did not receive an update. The Mi 5 is expected to launch early this year according to rumors, more than 16 months after the Mi 4.
At a time when Sony, LG, and HTC are all reporting a decline in sales, Xiaomi continues to make strides. However, it is still quite far away from the top, with Samsung and Apple reporting similar sales figures in a single quarter.
It might be fighting an even tougher opponent in Huawei as well, which surged in sales last year. Similar to Xiaomi, Huawei is only just starting to test the waters in the United States, while eating away at Samsung’s hold on Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
