With more than half of the number of smartphones shipped in Belgium in April, May and June, Samsung and Apple remained the two most dominant players in our country. This is evident from figures from research bureaus Counterpoint and Canalys, which the editors of HLN could view exclusively. The main challenger is the Chinese Xiaomi, after an astronomical growth.
Both research bureaus agree in the figures: the Korean Samsung shipped the most smartphones in the second quarter of 2022. Accounting for a share of 34 percent according to Counterpoint and 33 percent according to Canalys. The American Apple comes in second place. Counterpoint assumes a market share of 28 percent. At Canalys it is 24 percent.
Then comes Xiaomi, in third place, which takes a solid share of the market with a wide range of budget-friendly smartphones. In a previous article we already wrote that the company can also grow quickly by building a good relationship with telecom operators, as compatriot Huawei did years ago. With a market share of 17 percent according to Counterpoint and 21 percent according to Canalys, Xiaomi takes the place of the former compatriot.
Other manufacturers have to make do with the crumbs. Both research bureaus report a market share of five percent for the Chinese OPPO, which also includes sister brand OnePlus. Not bad for a new player, but the difference with the top three remains big. In addition, the American Motorola, the European Nokia and OPPO sister brand Realme appear in the figures, but without a clear consensus about their market shares.
Classic Q2 for Apple and Samsung, Mixed Picture for Xiaomi
April, May and June are traditionally difficult months for smartphone manufacturers. In the case of Samsung, the launches of the S22 phones are already behind us for a while. At Apple, consumers are starting to look forward to the September iPhone 14 launches.
In addition, the deteriorating economic situation will be added in 2022. That is the case worldwide, Jan Stryjak, responsible for research at Counterpoint in Europe, tells HLN. “This has caused consumers to cut spending, resulting in lower shipment volumes in recent quarters.”
According to Runar Bjørhovde, research analyst at Canalys, Samsung is also recovering from a boom during January, February and March of 2022, with the expected slump in demand three months after that. As a result, there is sufficient stock at partners of the Korean tech giant and fewer phones had to be shipped.
The result: compared to last year, Samsung can still record good growth figures. According to Counterpoint 38 percent, Canalys is more conservative at 24 percent. On a quarterly basis, the research agencies see a contraction of 15 percent (Counterpoint) or 13 percent (Canalys).
Apple’s growth figures are a lot lower compared to last year, according to Counterpoint: only 6 percent. Canalys is more optimistic with 19 percent year-on-year growth. Both companies report that shipments fell by five percent compared to the first quarter.
The situation at Xiaomi is less clear-cut. If we are to believe Counterpoint, Xiaomi has had a disaster quarter. On an annual basis we see a decline of 42 percent, compared to the first three months of the year there was zero growth. According to Stryjak, that is the result of an exceptional second quarter in 2021, when Xiaomi was able to take advantage of supply problems at Samsung.
However, according to Canalys, Xiaomi’s growth remains explosive, with shipments nearly doubling year-on-year and 88 percent quarter-on-quarter growth. According to Bjørhovde, this can be seen throughout Western Europe. According to him, the trend is a result of the strong presence in brick-and-mortar stores and more and more people are also familiar with the brand.
What’s going on with OPPO?
Finally, there is OPPO. Compared to last year, along with OnePlus, it can still show good growth — 50 percent according to Counterpoint — or explosive progress — 834 percent according to Canalys. Compared to last quarter, however, it is lousy with zero growth according to Counterpoint and only 5% growth if Canalys’ numbers are to be believed.
Runar Bjørhovde of Canalys provides the context: “OPPO has recently undergone a strategic shift in Western Europe. A new team at the top, OnePlus gradually moving under OPPO and figuring out what the new direction for the company will be.”
According to the analyst, the brand will also increasingly focus on the more expensive segments of the market. However, those devices are sold in smaller numbers and that is reflected in these figures. Xiaomi also focuses more on the high-end, but also has such a large range of affordable phones that it will continue to generate large volumes with good growth figures and a large market share as a result.
Obtaining exact market shares and sales figures is virtually impossible. Manufacturers are refusing to provide access to that data. In order to gain insight, therefore, one has to rely on figures from international research bureaus. They calculate how many smartphones each brand has shipped to retailers, operators and direct to consumers. Based on this, we get market shares and growth figures, but no insight into what percentage of Belgians use which brand of telephone.
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