Xiaomi's patent and new OS will likely boost their phone shipments in Q1 2022, but will their offering be enough to compete with Apple and Samsung?
Xiaomi was recently awarded with a patent for full-screen fingerprint technology for phones. The new technology allows users to unlock phones with their fingers from anywhere on the screen, which is more convenient comparing to the typical in-display recognition that could require several attempts to unlock.
The company is also releasing a brand-new OS. Sources indicate that new features may include Infinite Scroll, Sidebar, and Small Widgets. There is yet to be an official release date, but the new OS is likely to come out with Redmi Note 11 launch on January 26.
Xiaomi lost to Apple and Samsung in the last quarter in smartphone shipments. With the successful launch of iPhone 13 series in the last quarter of 2021, the iPhone is back at the top of the smartphone market. In the previous three quarters, Samsung had led the market in most shipments, with iPhone and Xiaomi trailing behind. Apple's stellar performance and recovering supply chain allowed iPhone 13 series to beat its competitors for the top spot with 22% global smartphone shipment in Q4 of 2021. Samsung and Xiaomi recorded 17% and 12%, respectively, as their share of shipments.