Samsung was second to Apple during the fourth quarter but was the top smartphone manufacturer worldwide in 2022
And rounding out the top five is Vivo. Like Oppo, one of the companies under the BBK Electronics umbrella (along with OnePlus, Realme, and iQOO), Vivo captured the same 8% of global smartphone shipments during the fourth quarter of 2022 that it had in 2021. The “others” category had a year-over-year decline from 28% in 2021’s Q4 to the final quarter of 2022.
Apple had the biggest market share among smartphone manufacturers worldwide during Q4 2022
For all of 2022, Samsung remained the number one smartphone brand in the world based on shipments. The company was responsible for 22% of smartphone shipments worldwide last year. That is up from the 20% share it owned in 2021. Apple was second and kept pace with Samsung by having its slice of the global smartphone pie rise from 19% in 2021 to 21% in 2022.
For all of 2022, Samsung shipped the most smartphones globally
Canalys says that the 2023 smartphone market will be impacted by higher interest rates, weak economies, and inflation
Bjørhovde added, “While low-to-mid-range demand fell fast in previous quarters, high-end demand began to show weakness in Q4. The market’s performance in Q4 2022 stands in stark contrast to Q4 2021, which saw surging demand and easing supply issues.”
“Vendors will approach 2023 cautiously, prioritizing profitability and protecting market share,” said Canalys Research Analyst Le Xuan Chiew. “Vendors are cutting costs to adapt to the new market reality. Building strong partnerships with the channel will be important for protecting market shares as difficult market conditions for both channel partners and vendors can easily lead to strenuous negotiations.”
Chiew also made a prediction about the smartphone market for 2023. “Though inflationary pressures will gradually ease, the effects of interest rate hikes, economic slowdowns and an increasingly struggling labor market will limit the market’s potential. This will adversely affect saturated, mid-to-high-end-dominated markets, such as Western Europe and North America.”
