- Samsung was named the world’s largest smartphone brand in 2022.
- Apple and Samsung took the first and second spots in the fourth quarter of 2022.
- Xiaomi, Vivo and OPPO took third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.
Even as global smartphone shipments shrunk by 17 per cent in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2022, Samsung turned out to be the world’s largest smartphone vendor last year, as per a report by market research firm Canalys. Apple took first place in market share in Q4 of 2022.
The report mentioned that even though Q4 saw declining demand and manufacturing issues in Zhengzhou, Apple still achieved its highest quarterly market share of 25 per cent. Samsung placed second in the quarter with a 20 per cent market share, but it was the biggest vendor overall.
In terms of annual market share, Samsung took the top spot with 22 per cent market share, Apple was second with 19 per cent, Xiaomi was third with 13 per cent, and both OPPO and Vivo gained 9 per cent market share each. Meanwhile, the remaining 28 per cent of the market share was gained by other smartphone brands.
“Smartphone vendors have struggled in a difficult macroeconomic environment throughout 2022. Q4 marks the worst annual and Q4 performance in a decade. The channel is highly cautious with taking on new inventory, contributing to low shipments in Q4. Backed by strong promotional incentives from vendors and channels, the holiday sales season helped reduce inventory levels. While low-to-mid-range demand fell fast in previous quarters, high-end demand began to show weakness in Q4. The market’s performance in Q4 2022 stands in stark contrast to Q4 2021, which saw surging demand and easing supply issues.” – Runar Bjorhovde, Canalys Research analyst
Despite its share decreasing to 11 per cent in Q4 due primarily to issues in India, Xiaomi managed to hold into third place. Vivo and OPPO, each holding 10 per cent and 8 per cent of the market, completed the top five.
As Apple plans to unveil the iPhone 15 series and Samsung is preparing to launch the flagship Galaxy S23 series this year, another Canalys analyst Le Xuan Chiew, in the report, noted that vendors would approach 2023 with caution, putting profitability and market share protection first.
