Samsung Electronics maintained its No. 1 position in the European smartphone market in 2021. But it went through tougher competition with Apple of the United States and Xiaomi of China, losing its lead four times in the monthly sales standings.

Samsung Electronics maintained its top spot with a 32 percent market share, up 6 percentage points from a year earlier, according to Counterpoint Research, a market research company.

It was followed by Apple (26 percent), Xiaomi (20 percent), Oppo (8 percent), Realme (2 percent), and Vivo (1 percent). Compared to the previous year, Apple increased its market share by 4 percentage points, Xiaomi 6 percentage points, Oppo 3 percentage points, and Realme 1 percentage point.

Competition among smartphone makers intensified in 2021 with the monthly top ranker changed four times throughout the year. In January last year, Apple topped the list with a 34 percent market share thanks to the launch of its first 5G mobile iPhone model. Samsung Electronics reclaimed the top spot in February  with the newly released Galaxy S21 and had maintained the lead for months.

However, in June, Xiaomi jumped to the top for the first time, taking advantage of the suspension of Samsung Electronics’ plant in Vietnam in May due to COVID-19. In July, Samsung retook the top spot and maintained its No. 1 position until losing its lead to Apple in November. Apple also topped the list in December, expanding its market share.