In 2024, it means more tests and crises for domestic mobile phones.
Up to now, although the global mobile phone market is still very competitive, in the first quarter, domestic mobile phones in the Chinese market are still generally on the rise. According to the latest domestic market report released by market research agency BCI, in the first quarter of 2024, the activation volume of Honor and Huawei will reach 10.742 million and 10.584 million units, respectively, accounting for 15.8% and 15.5% of the market share, ranking first and second. In addition, the performance data of first-tier local brands such as vivo, OPPO, and Xiaomi has also generally risen.
However, compared with the prosperity of the domestic market, the overseas global market should not be too optimistic.
In terms of the global market, in the case of almost completely losing the Chinese market, Samsung surpassed Apple in February this year with smartphone sales of 19.69 million units and a market share of 20%, and once again regained the throne of the world's No. 1 mobile phone brand. This also means that there is a danger signal from the overseas market: there is no need for the Chinese market, and Samsung is back to the first place in the world.
In 2016, Samsung because of the mobile phone explosion, differential treatment of Chinese users, which was boycotted and dissatisfied by Chinese consumers, since then, Samsung in Chinese mobile phones gradually marginalized by the market, market share from the early leading position, fell into others, since then slumped, although later, Samsung has taken a series of measures to revitalize the former position in the Chinese market, but have not been able to recover the decline.
There is no presence in China at all, but it does not affect Samsung to sit firmly in the world's first mobile phone manufacturer, last year was briefly led by Apple, only five months later, Samsung once again in the premise of not needing the Chinese market, back to the world's first. Such a terrifying global strength, except for Samsung, Apple, Huawei and any other mobile phone manufacturers can not achieve, after all, the Chinese market means a strategic place for any manufacturer.
It is undeniable that Samsung is very eager for the Chinese market, but the domestic market is too volatile for Samsung to gain living space. Globally, Samsung has always maintained a competitive advantage of a high degree of vertical integration in the hardware industry chain. Compared with domestic mobile phones, Samsung has the world's most extensive sales network and a large number of hardware independent research and development and production ecosystem, and various parts are highly independently developed and produced, giving Samsung innate advantages in product competitiveness, price and cost. The strong hardware strength has laid a solid foundation for Samsung to always be in the first echelon in the global market except China.
In overseas markets such as India, Europe and the United States, Samsung is able to give full play to its own brand, hardware and channel advantages, and adopt precise product strategies according to the actual needs of consumer groups in different regions. As of February this year, the sales volume of the S24 series reached 6.53 million units, and the sales of folding screen mobile phones such as Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 have increased, and Samsung has made outstanding contributions to regaining the first position. For the Indian market, in view of the relatively low level of local consumption, the A series products, which focus on cost performance, are more in line with the purchase needs of local consumers, and have also become Samsung's trump card to compete for the Indian market.
In terms of market segments, the latest data shows that Samsung maintains its leading position in Europe with a market share of 34%. In addition, in the U.S. market, where Apple is stronghold, Samsung's market share soared from 20% in January to 36%, eating up a lot of Apple's lost share.
Samsung is as strong as ever in the global market, and on the other hand, it also reflects the shortcomings of domestic mobile phones - over-dependence on the domestic market and insufficient layout for overseas markets.
Compared with Samsung, which can be the global hegemon without the Chinese market, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers need to broaden their horizons, look at the world, and accelerate the pace of integration into the global market. At this stage, the phenomenon of involution saturation in the domestic market has been very obvious, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, the growth of the four major local brands in the first echelon in the local market has almost reached the upper limit, blindly continue to roll in the domestic market, the market significance is no longer great. The key to breaking the situation lies in expanding the circle outward, and over-reliance on the local market will inevitably become a stumbling block to becoming bigger and stronger in the future.
To sum up, the current situation of Chinese mobile phone manufacturers is that the long board is very long and the short board is very short
In the domestic market, with the local advantages accumulated over the years, domestic mobile phones occupy innate geographical advantages in terms of sales channel network, brand appeal and localized operation. However, entering the overseas market, domestic mobile phones do not have a global broad sales channel similar to Samsung, and at the same time, there is no global layout of the industrial chain capacity, largely relying on the global supply chain parts supply capacity and rhythm, limited by their own channels and sales, its products are naturally difficult to open overseas markets in the short term.
In addition, the lack of in-depth localization of customized Android original system blessings in overseas markets, as well as the empowerment of brand potential energy, limits the growth of its sales to a certain extent.
At present, it seems that the domestic market no longer has a demographic dividend, as the market increment space is getting smaller and smaller, the upper limit is gradually peaking, and domestic mobile phones will be the only way out to seek increment in overseas markets. Compared with the crazy involution and price war in the saturated domestic market, only by not being subject to geographical limitations, having the courage to integrate into the global market, and seeking a more diversified layout, can we obtain a broader space for development and growth.
Samsung does not need the Chinese market, and has also achieved the world's first, and the danger signal is already very clear for Chinese mobile phone manufacturers. Bigger and stronger, can never be limited to a single region, only a comprehensive layout of the global industrial chain, open up more overseas sales network channels, is the way to make a living in the increasingly competitive industry environment......