- 7 hours ago
- iPhone
- Medhi Naitmazi
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The last calendar quarter of the year, that of the Christmas holidays, usually sees the iPhone dominating smartphone sales, especially due to the latest models. And with the iPhone 13, that was still the case in Q4 2021, despite global supply constraints that made things trickier than usual…
Apple still tops sales with its iPhone
The specialized company Canalys claims that Apple retained first place in the fourth quarter of 2021, with a 22% share of the global smartphone market, ahead of Samsung and its 20%.
A figure that must be compared with the same period in 2020 when Apple posted 23% when Samsung was at 17%. Korean is therefore closer to American.
Apple accounted for 22% of global smartphone shipments in Q4 2021, driven by strong demand for the iPhone 13. But overall shipments for the quarter rose just 1% as vendors encountered chain issues supplies and a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Samsung took second place, down from first place in Q3 2021, with a 20% market share. Xiaomi maintained its third position with a 12% share. OPPO and vivo rounded out the top five with 9% and 8% shares respectively.
Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia explained that to maintain its lead, Apple has mostly cut prices in China, a crucial market:
Apple is back on top of the smartphone market after three quarters, driven by a stellar iPhone 13 performance. Apple has seen unprecedented iPhone performance in mainland China, with aggressive pricing for its flagship devices maintaining the proposition of high value.
But Canalys says Apple’s supply constraints helped Samsung close the fourth-quarter gap. The Korean manufacturer is less dependent since it produces a large part of its components, and provides for example the OLED screen of the iPhone 13 (and this, since the iPhone X).
Apple’s supply chain is starting to recover, but it was still forced to cut production in the fourth quarter due to shortages of key components and couldn’t make enough iPhones to meet demand. In priority markets, it maintained adequate delivery times, but in some markets its customers had to wait to get their hands on the latest iPhones.
It was that it reported Bloomberg in December, explaining that component shortages have forced Apple to cut production volumes on a wide range of products.
Here is the full picture from Canalys, confirming Huawei’s descent into hell after its banishment by the USA:
Q4 2021 Global Smartphone Shipments and Growth | ||
Seller | Q4 2020 market share | Q4 2021 market share |
Apple | 23% | 22% |
Samsung | 17% | 20% |
Xiaomi | 12% | 12% |
OPPO | 10% | 9% |
long live | 9% | 8% |
Is this a logical ranking in your opinion?