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Xiaomi, which is seeing stratospheric growth in its home country, held 11% of the market in China in the first quarter of 2014. Known for producing quality smartphones and then selling them with small mark-ups, the local vendor continues to hold the number three, with Apple an inch behind, at 10%. That's not surprising, seeing as the majority of Chinese smartphone buyers mostly shop at the low-cost aisle, and the iPhone only recently started selling on China Telecom -- the country's biggest carrier.
The study also calls out the two market leaders in China -- Samsung and Lenovo -- which grabbed an 18% and 12% share in Q1. Coolpad, at 10%, is tied with Apple, and both are closely-followed by Huawei, which holds 8% of the pie. ZTE and Oppo had it the worst -- the two companies captured 6% and 3% respectively.
As the world's biggest smartphone market, China is obviously getting higher and higher on manufacturers' agenda, and there are definitely those that consider it crucial for a company's future odds of survival. That said, the commoditization of smartphones has brought down (and continues to squeeze) profit margins to a point where only a few brands are actually making a real buck. That's a godsend for consumers, but it might cost us the current diversity in products somewhere down the line.
source: Counterpoint Research via Korea Herald
