Recent smartphone shipment reports suggest Xiaomi had a strong first quarter in 2018.

Xiaomi’s Redmi 5A said to be the best selling Android smartphone in March — the first time a Xiaomi phone has achieved the feat.

Xiaomi also became the third biggest smartphone vendor in Spain in Q1 2018, according to Canalys.

Research firms Counterpoint Research and Canalys have released smartphone shipment reports for earlier in 2018, and both highlight significant achievements for Chinese firm Xiaomi.

Counterpoint Research has suggested that the Xiaomi’s Redmi 5A was the “best selling Android smartphone in March,” as well as ranking in third place overall behind the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus. Counterpoint also noted this is the first time a Xiaomi smartphone has grabbed the number one spot in global Android smartphone shipments.

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The Redmi 5A had a 1.8 percent market share in March, behind the iPhone X’s 3.5 percent and iPhone 8 Plus’ 2.3 percent. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus made the list too coming in joint fifth and sixth place with a 1.6 percent market share each. Unlike the Redmi 5A, however, the Samsung phones were not available at the beginning of March.

We called the Xiaomi handset a “steal” in our Redmi 5A review and recommended it to “anyone looking for a basic Android smartphone on a budget.” By all accounts, buyers have apparently found it similarly appealing.

Xiaomi rising in Europe

Meanwhile, over in Europe, Canalys says Xiaomi has surpassed Apple and BQ in Spain as of Q1 2018.

Xiaomi’s Western European ambitions came to fruition in November 2017, when it launched the Mi A1 and Mi Mix 2 in Spain. It’s been just over six months since the launch, but the Chinese brand is apparently now the third biggest vendor in the country.

The new entrant reportedly holds 14.1 percent market share, while third-placed Apple sits at 12.9 percent marketshare. Xiaomi is still a long way from second-placed Huawei (23 percent) and first-placed Samsung (23.9 percent), however.

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The results, posted on Twitter by Xiaomi Senior VP Wang Xiang, are also interesting because Apple and Samsung saw market share losses. Meanwhile, Huawei and Xiaomi gained a bigger (or new, in Xiaomi’s case) cut of the pie.

Of course, research firms tend to arrive at varying conclusions, measuring data in different ways. But it’s clear the Chinese brand has seen explosive growth here in a very short period of time.

Wang Xiang

The manufacturer’s Spanish rise is also showing up in European statistics for Q1 2018. Canalys previously reported that it was already at number four in Europe.

The company isn’t resting yet either, having recently announced plans to launch in the U.K., Italy and several other European countries too.