(Yicai Global) Aug. 26 -- China's Baidu beat out Google to become the world's second-largest maker of smart speakers in the second quarter as shipments of its devices surged 37 times from a year earlier, according to a new report by tech market researcher Canalys.

Baidu shipped 4.5 million units to take 17.3 percent of the global market in the three months ended June, the report said. Amazon stayed top with a 25 percent market share after shipping 6.6 million devices, a 61 percent jump. Google's deliveries fell almost 20 percent to 4.3 million.

Beijing-based Baidu launched its DuSmart speaker in June last year for just CNY199 (USD27.80), replacing the high-end Raven H, which was priced at CNY1,699 (USD238). Sales of Raven H missed expectations due to its steep pricing.

"Aggressive marketing and go-to-market campaigns built strong momentum for Baidu in China," said Canalys research analyst Cynthia Chen. "The vendor stood out as a key driver of smart displays, to achieve 45% smart display product mix in its Q2 shipments."

The report also noted that the US market has softened, with total shipments 2.4 percent lower at 6.1 million, mainly as Amazon and Google focus on overseas markets.