What just happened? When it comes to the world's biggest phone companies, Samsung and Apple have long been fighting over first and second place. Unfortunately for Cupertino, it's no longer part of the top two---Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has moved up a spot and now sits behind Samsung, pushing Apple into third.

According to preliminary estimates from market research firm Canalys, Xiaomi saw its shipments jump 83% YoY over the past quarter, pushing its share of the phone market to 17%. The 3% quarter-on-quarter rise puts it between number-one Samsung (19%) and third-place Apple (14%).

Xiaomi's colossal 83% growth in shipments compared to Q2 2020 dwarfs that of Samsung of Apple. The Galaxy maker saw shipments go up 15%, whereas Apple was by far the most underperforming of the top five, with its growth estimated to be just 1%.

"Xiaomi is growing its overseas business rapidly," said Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton. "It is still largely skewed toward the mass market, however, and compared with Samsung and Apple, its average selling price is around 40% and 75% cheaper respectively. So a major priority for Xiaomi this year is to grow sales of its high-end devices, such as the Mi 11 Ultra."

Two other Chinese firms take the remaining spots in the top five. Oppo is in fourth position with a 10% share after its shipments grew 28%, while fifth-place Vivo, which experience 27% growth, also has a 10% share.

Back in May, the US agreed not to backlist Xiaomi and designate it a Communist Chinese Military Company, thereby undoing one of the Trump administration's final orders. The firm made headlines more recently when it gave the owner of a Redmi 8 phone an upgraded model after his device exploded.