Samsung gains marketshare in 3Q2017 thanks to Note 8 and S8 series
The assault on Samsung and Apple from Chinese smartphone has been relentless. Yet, Samsung has managed to increase their smartphone market share in 3Q2017. Apple stayed in #2 spot with no change in market share. Huawei, OPPO and Xiaomi rounded off top 5 smartphone makers in the world. All top 5 brands managed to increase market shares, pulling huge share from ‘others’. This trend is going to continue into 2018 as innovation from top 5 brands has been intense in 2017. Overall, 373.1 million smartphones were shipped in the third quarter of 2017, with 2.7% YoY increase and 7.4% increase from second quarter of 2017. IDC has released 3Q2017 smartphone sales numbers and the numbers look healthy.
Samsung sold 83.3 million units and sales were up 9.5% YoY. J-series and A-series continued to sell really well in emerging and developed markets. Even though Apple has a quiet quarter, Q3 sales should explode as iPhone X will be available across the globe and this phone is setting serious pre-order records. Apple iPhone 8 series sales were not good but discounts and offers on older models resulted in Apple staying #2. Coming to Huawei, Mate series turned out to be the biggest hit for Huawei, resulting in 16.1% increase in sales YoY. OPPO also managed healthy 19% sales YoY but we may see their position challenged by Xiaomi which has aggressive 2017. Xiaomi managed to double their sales in 2017, thanks to very strong sales in India in last few quarters.
| Worldwide Quarterly Smartphone Top 5 Company Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, 2017Q3 and 2016Q3 (shipments in millions of units) | |||||
| Company | 3Q17 Shipment Volume | 3Q17 Market Share | 3Q16 Shipment Volume | 3Q16 Market Share | Year-Over-Year Change |
| 1. Samsung | 83.3 | 22.3% | 76.1 | 20.9% | 9.5% |
| 2. Apple | 46.7 | 12.5% | 45.5 | 12.5% | 2.6% |
| 3. Huawei | 39.1 | 10.5% | 33.7 | 9.3% | 16.1% |
| 4. OPPO | 30.7 | 8.2% | 25.8 | 7.1% | 19.0% |
| 5. Xiaomi | 27.6 | 7.4% | 13.6 | 3.7% | 102.6% |
| Others | 145.7 | 39.1% | 168.7 | 46.4% | -13.6% |
| Total | 373.1 | 100.0% | 363.4 | 100.0% | 2.7% |
| Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, November 2, 2017 | |||||
“As much of the focus has been on the wide range of high-profile flagship smartphones launched or announced in Q3, it is also important to look at what is happening with the rest of the industry,” said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers. “Collectively, the industry continues to grow, but at a much slower pace than past years. What is clear is that the ‘Others’ outside of the top 5 leading vendors continue to struggle and the industry leaders are quickly forming two camps. First, those able to drive significant volumes at the high end, which right now is basically Samsung, Apple, and Huawei, despite high-profile launches from Google, Essential, LG, and others. Second, a few other Chinese OEMs that are making tremendous headway outside of the China domestic market.”
“With an overabundance of high-end flagships launching in the coming weeks, the fourth quarter will be extremely competitive as vendors will fight it out to win over holiday shoppers,” said Anthony Scarsella, research manager with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. “Although these premium flagships will capture all the hype while driving up the average selling price in the quarter, we still believe a clear majority of shipments will come from more affordable models across many markets. IDC previously forecast the fourth quarter to grow at less than 1% year over year as initial supply constraints surrounding the iPhone X and higher than normal prices on many flagships could lead to consumers playing the waiting game until prices come down after the holidays or opt for a more affordable device.”
