Samsung beats Apple as the world's top smartphone manufacturer during Q1 2021 based on the latest report published by Boston-based market research company Strategy Analytics, Gadgets 360 reported.
Strategy Analytics estimated that 340 million units were shipped globally during the period, a 24 percent year-over-year (YoY) growth and the highest increase since 2015.
Global smartphone shipments came from the quarter's top five phone makers, occupying 76 percet of the entire smartphone market.
The company attributed the growth to the increase in the adoption of work-from-home and learn-from-home arrangements across the globe amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Korean tech giant Samsung emerged as the smartphone maker with the biggest market share pegged at 23 percent or equivalent to 77 million smartphone shipments
Samsung Galaxy A-series smartphone models contribute to the bulk of Samsung's shipments, as they occupy the more affordable end of the company's product spectrum topped by the flagship Samsung Galaxy S21.
Apple followed Samsung with a 17 percent market share or equivalent to 57 million units of iPhone shipped worldwide. Previously, Apple took the top smartphone maker spot during Q4 2020 with sales driven by the iPhone 12. The American tech giant shipped a total of 81.8 million units during the period, the highest number of iPhone units sold in just a single quarter, according to a Canalys report last year.
Chinese Smartphone Brands Lead, But No Huawei
Chinese smartphone brands, meanwhile, occupy the three remaining slots of the top five list.
Xiaomi landed on the third spot with a 15 percent market share or 49 million global smartphone shipments, jumping from last year's 10 percent market share. The growth was driven by the label's strong presence in China and India, and expansion in Latin America, Africa, and Europe, the Gadgets 360 report added.
Oppo, another Chinese smartphone manufacturer, took fourth place with its 38 million smartphone shipments in Q1 2021. Vivo, meanwhile, landed on the fifth slot with 37 million smartphones shipped and an 85 percent YoY growth during the period.
Huawei, noticeably, is not included among the world's top five smartphone manufacturers list. 2020 was relatively not a good year for Huawei due to its relationship with the United States government under ex-President Donald Trump.
Huawei has been facing a series of sanctions issued by the US government, as per CNET, and repercussions are still felt this year despite the big win of incumbent President Joe Biden.
The U.S. blacklisting of Huawei compelled tech giant Google to sever its tie with the Chinese phone manufacturer. Huawei smartphones are currently limited to Huawei AppGallery as its app store and do not have Google Play, which is a key selling point of Android smartphones.
Overall, the China smartphone market did well during the first quarter of 2021, according to Strategy Analytics Senior Director Linda Sui. She associated the growth with the sales success of 5G smartphones across different price segments.
China smartphone shipments reached more than 35 percent YoY growth during the period or equivalent to 94 million units despite shortages in chips and supply chain challenges. Sui warned that these issues will remain a concern among small smartphone players in the coming months.
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