Samsung topples Apple in smartphone shipment

Samsung Electronics has reclaimed the lead from Apple with a 24% share in the 2022 first quarter global smartphone shipment, according to Canalys market data.

Samsung came from 19% market share in the fourth quarter of 2021 to its current market share on the back of a revamped 2022 portfolio.

This comes at the time when total smartphone shipments drops 11%, the worst drop since the coronavirus outbreak, after inflation fears, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Omicron variant derailed an unsteady recovery for the sector.

Apple came second with 18%, thanks to the growing demand for its iPhone 13 series; while Chinese brands Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo filled up the rest of the space to make up the top five.

Xiaomi stayed in third place with 13% due to the stellar performance of its Redmi Note series, followed OPPO (including OnePlus) with 10% and Vivo completed the top five with 8% share.

“Despite the looming uncertainty in global markets, the leading vendors accelerated their growth by broadening device portfolios for 2022,” said Canalys Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia. “While the iPhone 13 series continues to capture consumer demand, the new iPhone SE launched in March is becoming an important mid-range volume driver for Apple. At a similar price point to its predecessor, it offers an upgraded chipset and improved battery performance and adds the 5G connectivity that operator channels are demanding. At the same time, Samsung ramped up production of its popular A series to compete aggressively in the mid-to-low-end segment while refreshing its 2022 portfolio, including its flagship Galaxy S22 series. While Chinese vendors are still suffering supply constraints at the low end, their global expansion is being hampered by a slowdown in their home market.”

“The global smartphone market was held back by an unsettled business environment in Q1,” said Canalys VP Mobility Nicole Peng. “Markets saw a spike in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, though minimal hospitalizations and high vaccination rates helped normalize consumer activity quickly. Vendors face major uncertainty due to the Russia-Ukraine war, China’s rolling lockdowns and the threat of inflation. All this added to traditionally slow seasonal demand. Vendors must equip themselves to respond quickly to emerging opportunities and risks while staying focused on their long-term strategic plans. The good news is that the painful component shortages might improve sooner than expected, which will certainly help relieve cost pressures.”