With the smartphone market starting to recover from the coronavirus crisis, Chinese producer Xiaomi has made history by beating the iconic Apple iPhone at its own game. Xiaomi has claimed the third spot among world’s largest smartphone producers for the first time, according to the results of the latest quarter, revealed by three research firms – International Data Corporation (IDC), Counterpoint and Canalys. In the three months to the end of September, the company’s shipments hit a record high, with different data pointing at more than 40-percent growth and the number of shipped units ranging between 46.2 million and 47.1 million. Meanwhile, its closest rival, Apple, has slipped to fourth place in the ratings. According to IDC, the US corporation shipped 41.6 million iPhones in the third quarter, down over 10 percent year-on-year. Data from Counterpoint differed slightly, but Canalys put the number of shipments at 43.2 million.