Samsung has reclaimed the first position in the smartphone market after the position was taken over, albeit for a short time by Huawei in the previous quarter.
According to the latest report from IDC, Samsung has reclaimed the top position in the 3rd quarter of 2020 from Huawei. Samsung shipped 80.4 million smartphones, which is up 2.9% year over year with India being their largest market accounting for 15% of the total volume.
This growth has been attributed to the strong performance in the sub $250 price segment where its M series models performed well. On the other hand, the A-series as well as the Note series performed well in the US market which attributed to 20% of the total volume.
Huawei which had taken over the top spot lost to the second position after shipping a total of 51.9 million smartphone units during the same period.
Huawei continued to suffer a 22% drop due to a decline in the international market. It was also noted that the market in China registered a 15% drop. The decline has been blamed on the increasing impact of the US sanctions.
Xiaomi now takes the third position having displaced Apple to the fourth. Xiaomi shipped 46.5 million smartphone units. This registered a 42% growth with strong gains being made in the Indian market and a continued strong presence in China. Of note, the Redmi 9 series performed well in both China and India.
Apple shipped 41.6 million units with was a 10.6% drop year over year. Analysts blamed the drop on the delay to launch the new iPhone 12, which is in the third quarter.
However, the iPhone 11 was cited as having performed exceptionally well followed by the SE. According to IDC, Apple is expected to do well in the coming quarter
The surprising news is that Xiaomi pipped Apple from the 3rd spot thanks to them shipping 46.5 million devices. This was a 42% growth due to strong gains in India and a strong presence in China. Their Redmi 9 series did well in both China and India, with strong demand for iPhone 12 and robust trade-in offers from carriers.
