10 Biggest Smartphone Companies in the World

In this article, we have prepared a list of top mobile phone brands in the world 2021 using business parameters like latest annual shipments, sales/revenue, profit. Mobile Phones have become inherent part of our lives. Top Smartphones have revolutionized the way people use mobiles today. Consumer preferences are dynamically changing and hence it's a world of latest style and innovation for these top mobile brands. As compared to 2018, 2019 & 2020 sales have dropped a bit now overall because of market saturation as well as due to other factors. Because of the pandemic and other reasons, overall 10% sales have fallen. The total shipments have been 1.3 billion approximately. Emerging markets drive a lot of sales for these top smartphone brands.

The list of top mobile brands includes Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Vivo, Oppo, LG followed by ZTE, Realme and Lenovo. The leading global mobile phone brands comprise of players which have a strong global presence. Customers have a wide range of handsets to choose from the various offerings from the biggest mobile phone brands. Here is the list of the top 10 mobile brands in the world in 2021.

List of 10 biggest smartphone companies in the world

10. Realme

9. Lenovo

8. ZTE

7. LG

6. Vivo

5. Oppo

4. Xiaomi

3. Apple

2. Huawei

1. Samsung

Detailed information on top 10 biggest smartphone companies in the world

10. Realme

Photo: CellphoneS

realme is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen. The company was founded on May 4, 2018 by Sky Li (Li Bingzhong), who was former vice president of Oppo. Its a spinoff from Oppo who collectively owns it with BBK Electronics.

Owned by BBK electronics which also owns VIVO and OPPO, Realme started its journey as an Oppo sub-brand but then since 2018, it is an independent brand which has a portfolio of more than 20 brands now since its inception. Realme also has TVs, headphones, smartwatches in its product line.

Realme is a leading mobile brand in India. Vivo and Oppo are siblings of Realme from the same BBK brand. Realme is 10th in the list of top mobile brands 2021.

Units Shipped (Million) : ~35

Profit (in million $): ~300 (Estimated)

Sales (in million $): ~20000 (Estimated)

9. Lenovo

Photo: CellphoneS

Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo, is a Chinese multinational technology company. Incorporated in Hong Kong, it has global headquarters in Beijing, China, operational headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina, US, and an operational center in Singapore. The company designs, develops, manufactures, and sells personal computers, tablet computers, smartphones, workstations, servers, supercomputers, electronic storage devices, IT management software, and smart televisions, and is the world's largest personal computer vendor by unit sales as of January 2021. It also markets the ThinkPad and ThinkBook business lines of laptop computers; IdeaPad, Yoga, and Legion consumer lines of laptop computers; and the IdeaCentre and ThinkCentre lines of desktop computers.

Lenovo has operations in over 60 countries and sells its products in around 180 countries. It has research centers in Beijing, Chengdu, Yamato (Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan), Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Morrisville (North Carolina, US), and also has Lenovo NEC Holdings, a joint venture with NEC that produces personal computers for the Japanese market.

Lenovo was founded in Beijing in November 1984 as Legend, and was incorporated in Hong Kong in 1988. Lenovo acquired IBM's personal computer business in 2005 and agreed to acquire its Intel-based server business in 2014. Lenovo entered the smartphone market in 2012 and as of 2014 was the largest vendor of smartphones in mainland China. In 2014, Lenovo acquired Motorola Mobility from Google. In 2017, Lenovo acquired Fujitsu's personal computer business.

Units Shipped (Million) : ~40

Profit (in million $): 535

Sales (in million $): 43,035

8. ZTE

Photo: Getty Images

ZTE Corporation is a Chinese partially state-owned technology company that specializes in telecommunication. Founded in 1985, ZTE is listed on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges.

ZTE operates carrier networks, terminals, and telecommunication. Its core business is wireless, exchange, access, optical transmission, data telecommunications gear, telecommunications software, and mobile phones.

It also offers video on demand and streaming media. ZTE primarily sells products under its own name, but it is also an OEM. ZTE is one of the top five largest smartphone manufacturers in its home market.

The company has faced criticism in the United States over potential ties to the Chinese government that could enable surveillance. In 2017, ZTE was fined for illegally exporting U.S. technology to Iran and North Korea in violations of economic sanctions. In April 2018, after the company failed to properly reprimand the employees involved, the U.S. Department of Commerce banned U.S. companies (semiconductors) from exporting to ZTE for seven years. The ban was lifted in July 2018 after ZTE replaced its senior management, and agreed to pay additional fines and establish an internal compliance team for 10 years. In June 2020, the Federal Communications Commission designated ZTE a national security threat, thereby barring it from any U.S. subsidies.

Units Shipped (Million) : 45

Profit (in million $): 719

Sales (in million $): 17123

7. LG

Photo: LG

LG Electronics Inc. is a South Korean multinational electronics company headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea.

LG Electronics is part of the fourth-largest chaebol in South Korea (LG Corporation) and its global sales reached US$55.91 billion (₩ 59.04 trillion) in 2014. It comprises four business units: Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliances & Air Solutions and Vehicle Components, with Starion India as its main production vendor for refrigeration and washing machines in the Indian sub-continent. LG Electronics acquired Zenith in 1995 and controls 37.9 percent of LG Display as of 2013.[5] Since 2008, LG Electronics remains the world's fourth-largest LCD television manufacturer.[6][7] The company has 128 operations worldwide, employing 83,000 people.

Units Shipped (Million) : 55

Profit (in million $): 110

Sales (in million $): 46800

6. Vivo

Photo: Vivo

Vivo is a brand of smartphones, smartphone accessories, software, and online services based in China owned by BBK Electronics.

Started in 2009, this is the fastest growing smartphone company in the world having a strong global footprint with its wide mobile range. Vivo had recently developed Android-based software system known as Funtouch. Vivo entered the top mobile phone brands within the half quarter of 2017 with a worldwide market share of 10.7%. Some of the premium smartphones of Vivo are X series, V series as the middle-priced phones and the Y series as the low-end smartphones. In 2018 Vivo released exclusive smartphones X20 UD, the world's preliminary smartphone with a fingerprint scanner that utilized the "ClearID" technology. Celebrity endorsements, sponsorships have propelled the brand vale of Vivo. Vivo recently launched V9 mobile series that is similar to Apple’s iPhone X. Vivo is the first Android company to launch smartphones that features a notch display similar to Apple’s iPhone X that has a full view display with a notch on top. Vivo is 6th in the list of top mobile brands.

Units Shipped (Million) : ~105

Profit (in million $): 1125

Sales (in million $): 46484

5. Oppo

Photo: Oppo

China based Oppo mobile phone brand is one of the most prominent new companies in the world owned by BBK Electronics.

The Oppo company, which was formed in 2011, is headquartered in China and has a strong global presence with its mobile devices and accessories. Oppo has produced a wide range of smartphones ranging from the low segment to targeting the affluent customer segments. Some of the most prominent phones brands by Oppo are Find 5, Find 7, N1, N3 etc. Oppo’s A77 model was launched in 2017. Oppo has managed to create a strong brand presence despite being a late entrant in the smartphone market. However, aggressive marketing and branding along with good product quality has enabled Oppo to be among the top mobile brands globally.

Oppo in 2017 became the official sponsor of the cricket team for India, which gave the brand massive credibility as well presence. More over, the company in India engaged with Bollywood celebrities who became the face of the brand. Apart from this, a strong distribution network covering more than 200,000 retailers has enabled the brand to have a strong reach within India itself. Oppo is 5th in the list of top mobile brands in world.

Units Shipped (Million) : 110

Profit (in million $)~ 1400

Sales (in million $)~ 60000

4. Xiaomi

Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi is one in all the quickest growing smartphone company in the world that manufactures smartphones, mobile apps, laptops.

Xiaomi was founded in 2010 by Lei Jun, and released its first smartphone in 2011, and since then Xiaomi has become the 8th largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. Xiaomi’s flagship brands are the Redmi and Mi series, which have grown significantly in popularity. Xiaomi has been able to create brand value owing to its focus on continuous innovation in technology. It also has been able to gain large market share due to its extensive advertising and marketing strategies especially in India and China to boost its sales of smartphones. With a consistent growth, Xiaomi is competing with the top global mobile brands in the world. In March 2018 Xiaomi launched Mi MIX 2S. Xiaomi’s MIUI 9 has in-built feature that allows users to do advanced customization. The company has been able to mark its presence in markets of India, China, Brazil, Singapore, Turkey, and Asian nation with its exclusive Mi and Redmi Series mobile phones. Xiaomi shipments of smartphones were around 90 million in 2017 and have able to create a big presence in the top 10 smartphone companies in the world and are known as the Apple of China. Xiaomi had a market share of 15.5% in 2017. Xiaomi is 4th in the list of top mobile brands.

Units Shipped (Million) : ~135

Profit (in million $): 1000

Sales (in million $): 17000

********READ MORE: How To Make Your Smartphone Battery Last Longer: 10 Simple Tips to Try

3. Apple

Photo: Apple

Apple maintains its top position in the smartphone industry as the most preferred brand.

Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne, Apple today is known for its classy iPhones. Apple has a large customer base because it offers products which have superior design and features, which have become more of an aspirational brand for people worlwide. Apple has been able to maintain the quality of its products as it always incorporates rapid technological advances and evolving design approaches. Many competitors of Apple try to imitate its features and sometimes even do price cutting mechanism to gain market share but it has not able to deter the large customer base Apple has. This shows why Apple is the top global mobile phone brand in the whole world. Apple has worldwide presence in around forty countries and 499 retail stores in twenty two countries as of December 2017. Apple INC is known for its high specification and stylish iPhone that is the signature product of Apple. In 2017 its revenue amounted to $229 billion. Apple unveiled its first-generation iPhone on 2007, and the most recent iPhone mobile models are the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus the new generation of iPhone in a stunning red finish which has advanced cameras, powerful and smartest chip ever in any smartphone. Apple is anticipated to launch iPhone X Leather Folio, future generation iPhone which can have a full-screen display with a face ID. Apple has made a comeback in 2020 and 2021 with iPhone 12 leading the sales globally. Apple is 3rd in the list of top mobile brands 2021.

Units Shipped (Million) : ~190

Profit (in million $): 48,351

Sales (in million $): 229,234

2. Huawei

Photo: Huawei

Founded in 1987, Huawei is the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world based in China.

Huawei has the best innovation centers across the globe and in 2016, Huawei invested 14% of their revenue in R&D. Huawei has global presence in more than 170 countries and is also anticipated to build and develop its own operating system, which shows its strong presence in the mobile market. Huawei shipped 153 million smartphones in 2017. Huwaei was positioned among the top Fortune 500 companies in 2017. Also a good number of the Fortune 500 companies chose Huawei as their business partner for digital transformation. In March 2018, Huawei launched a highly sophisticated and powerful smartphone; the Porshe Design HUAWEI Mate RS mobile phone featuring innovative in-screen fingerprint sensor and dual fingerprint design, AI processor and triple camera with high quality image capture. This smartphone is going to surpass the most demanded smartphone. In March 2018, Huawei unveiled the much-anticipated smartphone models such as HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro which has the world's first Leica triple camera. All innovations and R&D have enabled Huawei to establish itself as a top global mobile phone brand. HUAWEI has set the expectations high for smartphone photography through which anyone can capture professional quality images. Despite issues globally with the administration especially America, Huawei is 2nd in the list of top mobile brands 2021.

Units Shipped (Million) : ~200

Profit (in million $) ~10000

Sales (in million $): 122000

1. Samsung

Photo: Galaxy

Headquartered in Samsung town, Samsung electronics is a South Korean company and is a subsidiary of Samsung group.

Samsung mobile is market leader in the smartphone industry as it continuously strives to enhance product capabilities through its extensive R&D. Samsung has broadened its offerings for mid and lower priced smartphones to high-end mobile phones in the affluent segment. Samsung is popular for its Samsung Galaxy smartphone range. The flagship products of Samsung are Samsung Galaxy S7 edge+ and Galaxy Note 7. Recently, Samsung developed Tizen OS for its smartphones an alternate to its Android-based smartphones. For phones like Galaxy S9 Samsung also partnered with Audio expert companies such as AKG and Dolby to give customers a high quality sound experience. Samsung has launched their flagship of the year with Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung had a market share of approximately 20%, making it one of the top mobile phone brand globally. Samsung is 1st in the list of top mobile brands 2021.

Units Shipped (Million) : ~260

Profit (in million $): 22,847

Sales (in million $): 188,980

Top 10 Cheapest Smartphones In The World 2021/22 With modern technology developing everyday, smartphones have become more and more affordable to many people all over the world. In the article below, we will ...

How To Keep Your Smartphone From Damage: 9 Simple Ways Your smartphone is one of the most precious possession in your bag, and you will not want it to get damaged or scratched. To learn ...

What is the First Smartphone In The History Smartphones have been very popular nowadays, with many updated version and modern technology that creates more and more designs. But do you know what is ...

How To Clean Your Smartphone Screen Smartphone screens are fragile and easy to get scratches and cracks, so cleaning it carefully is important. Keep reading the article below to find out ...