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Samsung's market share reached a 5-year high last month

Published: May 28, 2022, 11:55 AM

Joshua Swingle

Samsung's market share reached a 5-year high last month

Smartphone companies of all sizes are struggling to sell devices as their businesses face what can only be described as the perfect storm — weakening demand combined with serious supply chain issues.

But one leading brand is somehow riding high during these turbulent times, as Counterpoint Research has revealed in its newest report about the global smartphone market.

Samsung is one of the few brands to post growth in April 2022

Samsung’s smartphone sales increased 9% year-on-year during the month of April when the overall market experienced an 8% year-on-year decline to reach its lowest levels since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The South Korean brand’s impressive performance was driven by the popularity of its Galaxy A-series models in the mid-range segment and the high-end Galaxy S22 line in the premium smartphone market.

Counterpoint Research notes that recent promotional campaigns boosted demand for Samsung handsets in crucial markets like Latin America and India, where it overtook Xiaomi last month to take the top spot.

Perhaps the biggest factor in Samsung’s recent success is the brand’s low exposure to China, however. The world’s largest smartphone market has suffered severely in recent weeks because of local lockdowns related to the pandemic.

These restrictions have impacted both demand and production. Samsung’s small presence in China, both from a sales and manufacturing perspective, has historically been viewed as a weakness, but in recent weeks has proven to be more of a strength.

Samsung records its highest market share since 2017

Combined, these factors enabled Samsung to capture a 24% share of the global smartphone market in April 2022. That marks the third consecutive month of rising market share for Samsung, as well as the third consecutive month of 2022 as the world’s number one smartphone brand.

If all of that wasn’t enough, the market share levels recorded last month mark a 5-year high for Samsung. The last time it captured a larger share was April 2017, when Galaxy smartphones accounted for 25% of worldwide sales.

Looking to the future, Counterpoint Research expects Samsung to retain its position as the world’s leading smartphone brand in the second quarter of 2022. The arrival of new foldables in summer, namely the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4, should sustain sales throughout the third quarter of the year too.

Of course, once the iPhone 14 series lands in September, Samsung’s chances of being the number one brand will be limited. Apple typically overtakes its South Korean rival in the December quarter and there’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case this year.

Apple and Xiaomi have faced sharp declines in recent months

Speaking of Apple, the brand captured 15% of the smartphone market in April. While that’s still impressive, it’s a far cry from the numbers seen at the end of 2021 and marks the fourth consecutive month of declining share.

Fans of the company shouldn’t be too worried, though. Similar declines are seen every year as the latest iPhones age and the next-gen models near release. Although the fact that Apple’s iPhone SE (2022) didn’t boost its market share is noteworthy.

Xiaomi, on the other hand, accounted for 12% of sales. That’s quite stable — the company has been tracking at a similar level since September 2021 — but remains below the levels seen a year ago.

The company has struggled more than its rivals with supply chain issues, and unless it can turn things around in the coming months, it’s unlikely to near the performance it achieved in 2021, let alone become the world’s number one brand again.