The figures for the first quarter of 2022 have just fallen. While the smartphone market is generally in decline, Apple stands out with its iPhone 13.
L’Institut IDC has just published its first results for the smartphone market for the first quarter of 2022. It indicates that while these are only preliminary data for the time being, the trend is clear. Globally, mobile shipments are down 8.8% compared to last year.
Nabila Popal, Research Director at IDC confirms that this development is due to ” ongoing supply and logistics issues “. She insists : ” Consumer sentiment in all regions, and particularly in China, is broadly negative with strong concerns over inflation and economic instability which have dampened consumer spending. This is now on top of rising component and transport costs and recent shutdowns in Shanghai, which are exacerbating an already difficult situation. ».
It’s without counting the russian-ukrainian war which strongly marked this period. The global decline is, in fact, very marked in the Central and Eastern Europe region (-20%). IDC qualifies, however, by reporting that while this decrease is strong, this geographical area remains marginal compared to Asia/Pacific, which alone accounts for nearly half of total shipments, and which recorded a decline of 11.3% in Q1 2022.
Samsung overall in the lead but the iPhone 13 stands out
According to the latest figures published by IDC, all models of smartphones Combined, Samsung remains in first position with 23.7% market share. It remains stable in sales volume compared to Q1 2021.
Apple remains on the second step of the podium with 18% market share. It is up 2.2% compared to 2021, driven by its iPhone 13.
The Chinese brands Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are down sharply with 12.7%, 8.7% and 8% market share respectively (compared to 14.1%, 10.9% and 10.2% in Q1 2021) . The three manufacturers suffered a considerable drop in their shipments: -17.9% for Xiaomi, -26.8% for Oppo and -27.7% for Vivo. Essentially present on the Chinese market, they are much more impacted than brands like Samsung or Apple, which are more established internationally.
Taking a closer look at the individual smartphone models, the honors again go to Apple and Samsung. The iPhone 13 stands out as the best-selling smartphone during the quarter, closely followed by the iPhone 13 Pro Max. More surprisingly, the third position is not attributable to one of the top models of the South Korean, but to its affordable Galaxy A12.
In any case, the apple brand continues to generate enthusiasm among consumers. For memory, the iPhone 11, 12 and 13 had been the most sold in 2021 (all manufacturers combined).