Robert Triggs/Android Authority
TL; PhD
- According to a new report, between the second quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2021, Apple has seen tremendous growth in the smartphone market above $400.
- According to reports, the company also accounts for nearly 75% of sales in the flagship price range of more than $800.
- Samsung and Huawei, its biggest Android competitors, are struggling to keep up. However, the benefits of Xiaomi and Oppo are obvious.
Apple has just launched the iPhone 13 series, but the company has launched an upcoming series of models, thanks to its booming development in the high-end smartphone market. According to new data, the company has taken a larger share in the field of high-end smartphones this year, at the expense of its Android competitors.
According to Counterpoint, Apple’s global high-end market share increased from 48% in the second quarter of 2020 to 57% in the second quarter of 2021, mainly due to the success of the iPhone 12 series. It is worth noting that Counterpoint defines the high-end market segment as devices with a retail price of more than $400, including the largest share of Apple devices. In other words, its performance in the ultra-high-end (800 US dollars or above) market segment is also particularly eye-catching.
In the entire high-end smartphone market, this specific price range accounted for 36% of high-end smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2021, a year-on-year increase of 182%. By the second quarter of 2021, Apple accounted for nearly three-quarters of sales in this range, up from 54% a year ago. According to Counterpoint data, this number was once again boosted by the sales of iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
How are Apple’s Android competitors performing?
Android OEM manufacturers have difficulty keeping up with Apple in the high-end market.
Samsung maintained a 22% high-end market share in the second quarter of 2020, but this share fell to 17% in the second quarter of 2021. Counterpoint blamed this decline on supply constraints. Nevertheless, in terms of sales volume, Samsung’s sales in the high-end category increased by 13% during this period.
Despite continuing troubles in the Western market, Huawei is still the world’s third-largest smartphone supplier in the high-end category. However, its share dropped sharply, from 17% in the second quarter of 2020 to 6% in the second quarter of 2021. It is worth noting that its position is mainly due to its remaining strength in the Chinese market, and it is still the second largest OEM in the Chinese market. Premium part.
During this period, only two Android OEMs showed significant market share growth, namely Oppo and Xiaomi. The latter increased its high-end equity from 4% to 6% between the second quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2021, further consolidating its success in all pricing ranges in the second quarter of 2021. At the same time, Oppo’s share in the high-end market achieved double-digit growth, from 2% to 5% over the same period.
Read more: Xiaomi is now the number one, can it still lead Samsung?
Other Android smartphone manufacturers are slowly joining the four giants in the high-end market. OnePlus ranks third in this industry in North America, mainly due to the OnePlus 9 series. Vivo also maintains this ranking in the Asia-Pacific region, second only to Apple and Samsung. Motorola continues to maintain its strength in the Latin American market, becoming the third largest high-end equipment OEM in the region after Apple and Samsung.
Looking forward to the second half of 2021, Counterpoint suggests that Samsung will regain some market share through cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 flagship products. Xiaomi is now named the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer in June 2021, and it continues to bring more high-quality products to the market.
As the pandemic fades, it is unclear how this will affect consumers’ buying habits or whether they will continue to use the high-end equipment they currently own. In other words, compared with the iPhone 12 series, the iPhone 13 series does not seem to be that big upgrade. Whether this will affect Apple’s dominance remains to be seen.