Samsung, Apple lead global smartphone market in Q2 2017

Aug 03, 2017

Both Apple and Samsung continued to occupy the top positions in the global smartphone market in the second quarter of 2017. The other four positions are occupied by local Chinese OEMs Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi. The latest numbers are coming from market research company Canalys.

Both Apple and Samsung continued to occupy the top positions in the global smartphone market in the second quarter of 2017. The other four positions are occupied by local Chinese OEMs Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi. The latest numbers are coming from market research company Canalys.

The South Korean has emerged as the winner, with shipments of over 79 million units in the quarter. Although its year over year growth has been relatively flat something that tells us a lot about the company’s performance in the coming quarters. Earlier this year, in March, Samsung launched the Galaxy S8 and S8+ in the market. The Android-powered flagship smartphones were seen as the biggest threat to Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

“Shipments of the S8 have been strong in some regions, but there are signs that demand has been overestimated,” said Canalys Senior Analyst Tim Coulling. “Canalys’ channels research has revealed inventory buildup in Europe, which when combined with discounting in the US, indicates Samsung may be testing the limits of Android smartphone pricing.”

Apple recently reported its fiscal third quarter 2017 earnings, nothing that it sold 40.7 million iPhones. Canalys’ latest data confirms that Apple held the second position by shipping 41 million iPhones, with an annual growth of 2 per cent. That was despite the fact that Apple iPhone sales always tend to slow down during this timeframe as consumers start looking forward to the next-generation model. iPhone 8, the company’s upcoming smartphone, will be launched later this year. The smartphone is said to feature an all-new design, dual cameras, wireless charging, and 3D face recognition features. Apple is also expected to launch the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, alongside the iPhone 8.

“As Apple looks to refresh the iPhone, even with its unique user experience, it too must justify any significant price increases with tangible improvements to both feature set and design”, he said.

Huawei, in comparison, shipped 38 million smartphones in the quarter, accounting for a 20 per cent growth year over year. Oppo and Xiaomi were the biggest gainers occupying fourth and fifth positions, and growing shipments of 44 per cent and 52 per cent respectively. Last month, the market research firm reported that Xiaomi was the second most popular smartphone vendor in India, next to Samsung. Meanwhile, Oppo held the fourth position, thanks to the popularity of the brand among tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

Over 340 million smartphones shipped in Q2 2017, an increase of almost 4 per cent year on year. Although the report noted that both Indian and Chinese smartphone markets were down in the second quarter of 2017.

Source:  The Indian Express