Apple once again holds the top spot in the global smartphone ranking after three quarters.
According to market-research firm Canalys, the American technology giant captured 22% of the worldwide smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of 2021, enough for it to beat other handset vendors. This was because of the strong performance of the iPhone 13 series, which was launched in September.
“Apple saw unprecedented iPhone performance in mainland China, with aggressive pricing for its flagship devices keeping the value proposition strong,” Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia said.
That’s the same information another analysis company, Counterpoint Research, revealed recently. The firm explained that the iPhone 13 models’ lower starting price, new camera, and 5G features helped boost sales in China. Add to that the declining sales of Apple’s main competitor in the premium market, Huawei, because of the ongoing U.S. sanctions.
Top 5 smartphone brands in Q4 2021, according to Canalys (compared with the Q4 2020 ranking)
Former No. 1 Samsung slid to second place with a market share of 20%, while Xiaomi retained the third spot with a 12% share, similar to its number of shipments from the same period in 2020. BKK Electronics’ OPPO and Vivo completed the top 5 with 9% and 8%, respectively.
Because of supply-chain problems, which are not expected to ease until the second half of 2022, and the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, global smartphone shipments grew just 1%.
“Component manufacturers are eking out additional production, but it will take years for major foundries to significantly increase chip capacity,” Canalys VP Mobility Nicole Peng said. “Smartphone brands are already innovating to make the most of their circumstances, tweaking device specs in response to available materials, approaching emerging chipmakers to secure new sources for ICs, focusing product lines on the best-selling models and staggering new product releases.”
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