According to a report by Counterpoint Research, Apple iPhones continues to dominate the premium phone market in the world, according the latest report by Counterpoint Research. The report suggests Apple led the global best-selling smartphone list with five models, followed by Samsung and Xiaomi with four and one smartphone respectively.
A premium phone is categorized, as any gadget that costs more than $400 (roughly above Rs. 32,000). So it’s not as if competition is limited as almost every brand has multiple offerings in this segment. The iPhone, however, is dominating this segment.
According to Counterpoint, the iPhone 13 has been the bestselling model globally each month since October 2021. That’s quite a revelation as it means ever since its launch seven months ago, the iPhone 13 has been outselling rivals as well as Apple’s Pro series of iPhones.
Apple iPhones led the global best-selling smartphone list with five models
The iPhone 13 has 23% of market share in the premium segment, making it streets ahead of competition. The iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro garnered 13% and 9% of the market share respectively. The iPhone 13 series clearly has done wonders for Apple as 45% of total premium phones sold in the were were the current generation of iPhones.
Overall, Apple iPhones had about 60% market share in the premium segment — which is also the highest first quarter share for Apple in the premium segment since Q1 2017.
Samsung came in second with a 16% market share and saw a slight decline in the segment. Counterpoint attributes it mainly because of a delayed launch of the Galaxy S22 series as compared to the S21 series launch in 2021. The Galaxy S22 series, as per Counterpoint, has been doing quite well overall with the S22 Ultra being the best-selling Android smartphone in the world.
Xiaomi is gaining traction and remained the third largest brand in the premium segment for the third consecutive quarter. The fourth and fifth spot in the premium segment were occupied by Oppo and Vivo.
The aspirational value of buying an iPhone gives Apple a significant edge over its rivals. There’s a certain premiumness associated with Apple and it is more evident than ever before.
Meanwhile Samsung which fares in the top selling brands in the world, captured four spots in the list, and its latest flagship, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, took the fifth spot overall. The successor to the Galaxy Note series after a gap of two years has become the go-to device for existing Galaxy Note smartphone users.
Galaxy A-series devices, positioned at different price points and targeting different customers, helped Samsung capture another three spots. The newly launched Galaxy A13 looks to be replicating the success that the Galaxy A12 series had last year. Over 50% of its sales come from India and LATAM combined. It registered the highest MoM growth among the smartphones in the list.
The entry-level Galaxy A03 Core captured the eighth position and was the best-selling smartphone under $100 wholesale price. CALA contributed almost two-thirds of its sales in April.
On the other hand
Despite flat sales in April, the Redmi Note 11 LTE, which contributed 11% to Xiaomi’s total sales, retained a spot on the top 10 list in April. With a quarter of all Note 11 LTEs having been sold in CALA in April, the region is emerging as one of Xiaomi’s key growth drivers. The brand has been facing supply issues and its overall sales declined by around 25% compared to April 2021.
