On April 30, the latest research by Strategy Analytics pointed out that global smartphone shipments in Q1 2022 fell by 11% year-on-year to 314 million units. Samsung topped the global smartphone market with 24% market share in the quarter, which is its best Q1 performance in nearly 5 years. Apple ranks second with 18% market share; Xiaomi, OPPO (including OnePlus) and vivo remain in the top five.
"Q1 2022 is the third consecutive quarter of year-on-year decline in smartphone shipments, and factory constraints and component shortages continue to constrain the supply of smartphones," SA said. At the same time, adverse economic conditions, geopolitical issues, and the impact of COVID-19 (lockdowns imposed in China, among others) continue to erode consumer demand for smartphones and other non-essential products. ”
SA expects Samsung to ship 75 million smartphones in Q1 2022 and to hold the top spot in the global smartphone market with a market share of 24 percent, the company's highest market share since 2017. The newly launched flagship Galaxy S22 series, especially the higher-priced S22 Ultra, has strong demand. At the same time, Samsung continues to launch cost-effective A-series products in multiple markets.
It is reported that in Q1 2022, Apple's global iPhone shipments were 57 million units, an increase of 1% year-on-year, and ranked second with a global market share of 18%. Apple, centered on the iPhone 13 series and the newly launched iPhone SE (2022), began to become a sales driver in the lower market and achieved good results. Apple's market share in the quarter was also the highest since 2013, as leading Chinese brands were weighed down by a downturn in the domestic market.
Xiaomi smartphone shipments of 39 million units ranked third in Q1 2022 with a global market share of 12%, down from 14% last year. Xiaomi is affected by geopolitical uncertainty in Europe; Chinese brands have also performed mixed in China and India. OPPO (OnePlus) ranks fourth, accounting for 10% of the global smartphone market in Q1 2022. Vivo ranks fifth with 8% of the global smartphone market share. OPPO (OnePlus) and vivo have lost market share in all key markets except Latin America, and 5G competition from Honor and other smartphone competitors in China and other markets has intensified dramatically.
In addition to the top five, in Q1 2022, the global competition of other major smartphone brands is very fierce. Honor, Realme, Lenovo-Motorola and Transsion all outperformed the overall market, but presented different models. Honor is stable in the Chinese market and continues to climb in overseas markets. Realme continued to rise across all regions, but China's overall performance declined. Lenovo-Motorola gained market share in North America, but its growth momentum in Latin America has been disrupted by other Chinese brands. Transsion faced fierce competition from Samsung in Africa, with annual performance declining for the first time in two years.
SA expects global smartphone shipments to decline 1%-2% year-on-year for the full year 2022. In the first half of 2022, geopolitics, component shortages, rising prices, exchange rate fluctuations, COVID-19 and other factors will continue to put pressure on the smartphone market, and in the second half of the year, the situation will be alleviated due to factors such as COVID-19 vaccines, central bank interest rate hikes, and reduced factory supply disruptions. (Proofreading/LL)