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This year 2022 has not really started auspiciously and the high-tech industry is suffering the consequences. This is particularly the case for smartphone manufacturers, which are experiencing a slowdown in shipments.
The smartphone industry is highly dependent on international news and this year 2022 has had a particularly eventful start. Between the Covid-19 pandemic, the semiconductor crisis and the conflict in Ukraine, most mobile manufacturers have had to lower their ambitions.
Smartphone shipments fell in the first quarter of 2022. / © iStock / Getty Images
The study room Canalys reports that global smartphone shipments fell by 11% in the first quarter of 2022. A decline due to “unfavorable economic conditions“related to the reasons previously mentioned, but also to a slowdown in demand, particularly in the Chinese domestic market.
Canalys takes the opportunity to compare the market shares of the various brands in this first quarter compared to the previous year. The opportunity to see that the historical leaders have been able to renew themselves and recover customers despite the current situation.
Q122: WW #smartphone shipments fell 11%. #Samsung led the market with a 24% share & revamped its 2022 portfolio. #Apple in #2, with a solid Q1. #Xiaomi in #3 due to success of #Redmi Note series. #OPPO & #vivo finished the top five. https://t.co/HhQn7jOBF8pic.twitter.com/lF0BTkwSf0
— Canalys (@Canalys) April 19, 2022
The leader remains Samsung, which went from 22 to 24% of market share over the same period. It is followed by Apple, which increases its own by 15 to 18%, while Xiaomi stabilizes (from 14 to 13% in the first quarter of 2022). The dynamic of the Chinese giant is roughly similar among its Asian competitors like Oppo (which includes OnePlus) or Vivo.
Despite the uncertainty hanging over the global market, incumbent manufacturers have succeeded in accelerating their growth by diversifying their catalogs […] As the iPhone 13 lineup continues to attract consumer demand, the new iPhone SE launched in March may be an important mid-range sales driver. It features an improved SoC and 5G connectivity that carriers demand. Samsung has updated its A range to compete more aggressively in the entry and mid-range while refreshing its catalog with the Galaxy S22. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturers are still being constrained and seeing their global expansion hampered by a slowdown in their home market.
Historical actors have therefore taken advantage of these troubled times to reinforce their domination at the expense of others. This is particularly the case for iOS, which is gradually eating away at the gigantic market held by brands on Android.
Canalys specifies, however, that general demand is often weaker during this period. Things might change when the shortage of components fades, which will inevitably have an impact on prices. But the lengthening of the war in Ukraine, the new confinements in China or the threat of growing inflation are pushing manufacturers to be cautious.