iPhone 13 / Pro Takes Over Premium Market, New Report Shows Apple as Second Most Successful Smartphone Manufacturer in Q1 2022

Apple is the second most successful smartphone provider in the world in Q1 2022, according to new data. Apple also trails Samsung phones, with the South Korean tech giant holding 23.4 percent of the global market share. Samsung became the number one most successful smartphone vendor in Q1 2022.

Samsung and Apple are vying for the top manufacturer position in the smartphone segment, according to a BanklessTimes report. Samsung sold 73 million phones in the first quarter of 2022, while Apple came in second with 56 million iPhones and an 18 percent market share.

Apple's iPhone grew 2.2 percent year-over-year, according to the report. In addition, Apple was the only manufacturer in the smartphone industry to achieve positive growth as the global smartphone market declined by 8.9 percent.

China's Xiaomi (12.7 percent share), OPPO (8.7 percent share) and vivo (8.1 percent share) ranked among the top five smartphone vendors in terms of sales.

It's worth thinking about how Apple will compete with brands that sell a wider range of smartphones -- most of which are much cheaper than the iPhone. This comes on the heels of another Counterpoint Research study that shows Apple as the global leader in the premium smartphone market in Q1 2022.

"Sales growth in the ultra-high-end handset market was driven by Apple and Samsung. iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro together accounted for more than two-thirds of sales in the ultra-high-end price segment, driven by strong sales growth in the U.S., China and Western Europe. In China, sales in the $1,000 (approximately RMB 6,700) and above price segment grew 176 percent year-over-year in Q1 2022. This segment alone accounted for more than one-fifth of the value of smartphone sales in China during the quarter. Apple emerges as the biggest winner after Huawei's decline in the high-end handset market. The premium handset market in China still has potential and will be driven by upgrades, especially from Huawei's large customer base of users."

Apple will release new earnings for the June quarter on July 28, following news that the iPhone SE 3 was poorly received, so we will have to wait and see how Apple's iPhone 13 performs in new colors, plus Apple will also release four iPhone 14 series phones in September.