Guess Who Dominated Premium Android Smartphone SoCs in Q1?

19th May

China’s strict COVID-19 quarantine measures have started showing up in our smartphone numbers – sales declined YoY for 10 consecutive weeks since the sixth week of 2022. Major Chinese brands, except HONOR, failed to avoid the impact, says Minsoo Kang.
Both Qualcomm and MediaTek are reporting stellar numbers. But different drivers are pushing their growth. If MediaTek leads the overall Android smartphone SoC market, Qualcomm dominates the premium segment of the market, reports Shivani Parashar.
Our Installed Base Tracker Service tells us Xiaomi has become the third smartphone brand after Samsung and Apple to cross the 500-million installed base mark. But in what ways can such a large installed base help Xiaomi? Archie Zhang tries to find out.

Meta Quest 2 First VR Headset to Cross 10 mn Shipments

How Are India’s TWS Hearables Makers Dominating At Home?

13th May

With its smartphone business in the rearview mirror, LG Electronics is going from strength to strength. In Q1 2022, its revenue reached a record high, with 46% of it coming from premium products in overseas markets, reports Ayush Bhardwaj.
The onward march of Indian TWS brands continues. In Q1 2022, these brands’ shipments more than doubled to capture 72% of the India TWS market. What is driving this seemingly improbable growth? Anshika Jain has the answer.
With its supply chain heavily dependent on Chinese EMS and ODM firms, Netgear has been hit hard by the latest COVID-19 wave in China. Its revenue plunged a massive 33.8% in Q1 2022 compared to Q1 2021, reports Varun Gupta.

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments to Cross 1.2 Bn Units by 2030

Despite Tough Q1, We’re ‘Cautiously’ Optimistic on US Smartphone Sales

6th May

Against the backdrop of component shortages, war and COVID-19, Apple has been able to record an impressive March quarter. In fact, its installed base and services hit new highs during the quarter, says Jeff Fieldhack in his quick takes on the quarterly result.
TSMC too recorded an impressive March quarter. And it too had a record number to show. The quarter saw its HPC segment beating the smartphone segment to become the largest sales contributor for the first time in TSMC’s history, reports Dale Gai.
The 4.5% YoY rebound in the global smartphone market in 2021 also resulted in ODM/IDH firms’ smartphone shipments growing 6.4% YoY. This growth was primarily driven by increasing orders from Xiaomi, Lenovo/Motorola and Transsion, says Ivan Lam.

US Smartphone Sales Decline 6% YoY in Q1 2022 as Pandemic Demand Cools

Top 10 5G Android: Guess Who Topped, Tailed and Prevailed?

29th April

In addition to COVID-19 and component shortages, a fresh challenge cropped up for the global smartphone market in Q1 2022. While the Russia-Ukraine war had little impact on the quarter, as reports from Harmeet Singh Walia, Mengmeng Zhang and Shilpi Jain show, it has the potential to hit the market in the long run and delay its recovery.
But there was some good news on the PC component front in Q1 2022 even as the war threatened to hit the momentum here too. William Li projects that PC component shortages are likely to ease in H2 2022. Since late 2021, demand-supply gaps have been narrowing, signaling an approaching end to supply tightness across the broader ecosystem, he says.

Global Smartphone Market Declined by 7% YoY in Q1 2022

Why We Think The Semis Shortage is Already Easing

22nd April

Our latest smartphone component tracker sees the ongoing global semiconductor chip shortages continuing to ease during H2 2022. But COVID-19 is still lurking in the background. The big risk factor moving forward is the lockdowns happening across China right now, especially in and around Shanghai, says William Li.
With the prices of new flagship smartphones remaining high in 2021, refurbished smartphone volumes grew 15% YoY. But there is a heartening factor that also contributed to this growth. As sustainability garnered more interest, consumers were exposed to more benefits of choosing a pre-owned device, finds Glen Cardoza.
The rise of the Metaverse and the commercial success of Meta’s consumer-level VR headset Oculus have breathed new life into the Chinese XR market after the 2016 boom that went bust in two years. But has the technology achieved the maturity required to reach mass-adoption levels? Kevin Lee has the answer.

Global Semiconductor Shortage Likely to Ease Significantly in H2 2022 Despite China Lockdowns

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China’s Premium Dream for the US

15th April

The global automotive industry is finding it tough to shake off the jinx that seems to be dogging it since 2020. First came the pandemic, then the supply chain chaos, and finally (so far) the Ukraine crisis. Any silver lining? Yes, there is one, says Soumen Mandal.
This year has seen a stream of announcements from Qualcomm, the common theme being its efforts to diversify beyond smartphones. The company believes its “one technology roadmap” will expand its total available market seven-fold, says Jeff Fieldhack.
With Apple and Samsung firmly entrenched in the US premium smartphone market, what does it take to become a third serious contender? OnePlus’ 10 Pro model attempts to answer this with its specs. But is this sufficient to break the Apple-Samsung stranglehold? Maurice Klaehne has the answer.

 Global Cellular IoT Chipset Shipments Share by Chipset Vendor, Q4 2021

Qualcomm Retains Top Position in Global Cellular IoT Chipset Market in Q4 2021

Why 2022 Is the Year 50MP Smartphone Cameras Hit Mainstream

8th April 2022

Reports that Apple is working on a hardware subscription model for iPhone and other products have left the industry and consumers agog, waiting for more details to emerge. Hanish Bhatia tries to understand the implications of this model for Apple and other players in the industry.
What is premium today will be affordable tomorrow. This seems to be the unwritten rule of the smartphone market. Take 50MP image sensors for instance. After launching in 2020 in the premium price band, they are now penetrating the low-to-mid-end models, reports Alicia Gong.
The global telematics control unit (TCU) market continues to report good numbers despite COVID-19 and supply chain shortages. This growth is being driven by the rising penetration of connected cars and consumer preference for digital features, says Ayush Bhardwaj.

Monthly ARPU (Hardware + Services) for Apple Power User ~400

Apple’s Hardware Subscription Plan a Game Changer

US Market Smartphone Race Gets New Contender

1st April 2022

It was a different era of the US mobile phone market back in 2008. Feature phones were dominant and Motorola was the market king. A bit of that glory was back with Motorola in 2021 when it emerged as the US’ No. 3 smartphone OEM for the first time. Varun Mishra looks into its latest gains.
On the US carriers’ side, T-Mobile is currently the leader when it comes to 5G rollouts. But it is not basking in this achievement and instead focusing on maintaining this lead through investments and rollout of new 5G applications. Jeff Fieldhack has the latest on T-Mobile’s initiatives on this front.
COVID-19 has made video conferencing an integral part of our daily work routine. But still, a quality web camera is difficult to come by. Jabra’s Panacast 20 attempts to fill this gap. It has proved to be one of the best solutions available, says Neil Shah after using the device for almost eight weeks.

USA Smartphone Sell-through Share by Brand

Motorola Emerges as US’ #3 Smartphone OEM in 2021 for First Time

How Premium Smartphones Outpaced Market to Pass One-Quarter Mark in 2021

25th March 2022

Even as component shortages and fresh COVID-19 waves gripped the global smartphone market in 2021, its premium segment notched up record numbers. Against the global market growth of 7%, the premium segment grew 24% to grab its highest ever share. Varun Mishra looks into the reasons driving this growth.
While the long-term outlook for OLEDs is bright, they seem to have hit a speed bump in the short term thanks to factors like weak consumer sentiment and component shortages. Join Woojin Son as he analyses the transition of mobile phones from LCD to OLED displays.
OnePlus entered the smartwatch market with the launch of the OnePlus Watch last year. Going by our BoM analysis, the product has been designed with much care to attract the target consumer. Sound selection of components has enabled OnePlus to make a multifunctional smartwatch at an affordable price, says Yasasvi Jayachandra Kuppa.

Global Smartphone OEM Rankings by Region, Premium (>$400) Segment, 2021

Global Premium Smartphone Market Sales Reach Highest Ever in 2021

5G Smartphone Sales Share Passes 50% For First Time Ever

18th March 2022

The beginning of the year 2022 saw the smartphone industry reaching an important milestone. For the first time, sales penetration of 5G-capable smartphones surpassed the penetration of 4G smartphones in January. Karn Chauhan looks into the factors driving 5G penetration globally.
After a sluggish 2020, the global smartwatch market was back on the growth curve in 2021. In fact, the fourth quarter saw the highest ever quarterly shipments. With their ability to monitor important health parameters, these devices are becoming popular, says Sujeong Lim.
The global automotive sector’s bumpy ride, which started with COVID-19 and worsened with component shortages, was expected to end or at least improve this year. But then came the Ukraine crisis. Suddenly, the industry finds itself in a vulnerable situation. Abhik Mukherjee analyses the situation.

MWC and our Russia Headline Views

4th March 2022

Smartphone Market Revenue by Top 5 Brands, 2017-2021 (in $ billions)

Global Smartphone Revenue Hits Record ~$450 Billion in 2021

How a Massive Q4 Helped realme Consolidate Its #5 Europe Spot

25th February 2022

Qualcomm has managed to beat component shortages and capacity constraints to record a strong Q4. Parv Sharma feels the company has been able to do this by prioritizing high-end Snapdragon sales, which come with higher profitability and less impact from shortages than the mid-end and low-end mobile handsets.
The global Camera Images Sensor (CIS) market remains bullish despite macroeconomic uncertainties, thanks to increasing demand not just from the smartphone segment but also from the automotive, industrial and other applications. Join Alicia Gong as she makes 2022 projections for the market.
On the face of it, there doesn’t seem to be any strong link between climate change and mobile networks. But think energy consumption and carbon emission and you start getting the picture. China Mobile and Huawei have launched the Green 5G Project. Join Jan Stryjak to understand what it is all about.

Global Smartphone AP/SoC Shipment Market Share (%), Q4 2020 vs Q4 2021

Qualcomm Gains Share in Smartphone AP/SoC Shipments in Q4 2021; MediaTek Continues to Lead

Qualcomm’s share reached 30% driven by the premium tier. UNISOC had a strong Q4 with its share reaching 11%.

How Samsung Won The Philippines in 2021

18th February 2022

HONOR has managed to maintain its growth momentum in China. Even as the country’s smartphone shipments dropped 11% YoY in Q4 2021, HONOR reached the second position in the market for the first time after becoming an independent company, reports Archie Zhang.
In the past decade, CPUs gained an increasing number of cores, but their bandwidth didn’t keep pace, affecting performance. To address this and related issues, a new non-proprietary standard called CXL was developed in 2019. Join Siddharth Bhatla to understand what it is all about.
Semiconductor shortages, production losses and freight disruption did impact the global auto industry in 2021, but the connected car penetration continued to increase. The year also saw the first global deployment of a 5G-enabled car, says Fahad Siddiqui in his update.

China’s Q4 2021 Smartphone Shipments Fall 11% YoY; HONOR #2 for First Time as Momentum Builds

China’s smartphone shipments dropped 11% YoY in Q4 2021, according to Counterpoint Research’s Q4 2021 Market Monitor. There was intense competition, with Apple ending on top and reaching its highest market share ever.

How Smartphone Markets Turning the Corner Across Southeast Asia

11th February 2022

The latest Galaxy Unpacked event had good news for diehard Note fans. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is now a de facto successor to the Note series. But that was just one of the key takeaways from the event that saw the launch of six smartphone and tablet models. Join Ritesh Bendre as he gives the low-down on the event.
The global smartphone market shipments grew 4% in 2021, but they were still below the pre-pandemic level due to continued COVID-19 impacts and component shortages. However, some regions registered their highest ever shipments. The Middle East and Africa region grew 13% YoY in 2021, underpinning the accelerating adoption of digital services, says Yang Wang. Key Southeast Asian countries also saw record shipments, with Xiaomi, realme and Apple achieving their highest ever volumes, report Glen Cardoza and Ivan Lam.

Key Southeast Asian Countries’ Smartphone Shipments Cross Pre-pandemic Levels in 2021; Xiaomi, realme, Apple achieve highest ever volumes

Key Southeast Asian countries’ (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam) smartphone shipments were highest ever in a calendar year in 2021, reaching 96 million units and growing 5% YoY.

No Apple, No Problem – How Will Qualcomm Do It?

4th February 2022

Some smart hacks like dual-sourcing of key products have helped Qualcomm beat component shortages to register record revenues in the December quarter. Join Jeff Fieldhack for an analysis of the company’s earnings report for the quarter.
COVID-19 and component shortages impacted Europe’s smartphone market in 2021. While the market managed to grow 8% YoY, this growth came on a low base of the pandemic-hit 2020 and was well below pre-pandemic levels, says Jan Stryjak.
In contrast, India’s smartphone market recorded its highest ever shipments and revenues in 2021. While COVID-19 and component shortages did impact this market, what made the difference was high replacement demand fuelled by increasing affordability, reports Shilpi Jain.

Europe Smartphone Market Gains 8% YoY in 2021; But COVID-19 Recovery Comes Up Short

A major theme carried over from 2020 was vendor competition, and 2021 saw the most intense competition yet. Leadership of the European smartphone market changed hands four times throughout the year, while some brands enjoyed their best year for sales in Europe ever.

1.39bn Smartphones Shipped in 2021; Apple #1 in China

28th January 2022

Our 2021 report card for the global smartphone market is ready. While the annual shipments did grow for the first time since 2017, they remained below the pre-pandemic level due to continued COVID-19 impacts and component shortages, explains Harmeet Singh Walia.
Macroeconomic factors also impacted the global smartphone market’s performance in 2021. Inflation, rising energy prices, labor shortages and higher input costs impacted the market and will continue to keep prices inflated through 2022, says Emily Herbert.
Even as the global smartphone market continued to grapple with component shortages and COVID-19, Apple became the #1 brand in China in Q4 2021 after six years, reports Ivan Lam. The quarter also brought Apple its highest ever market share in China.

Global Annual Smartphone Market Grew for the First Time Since 2017; Record Annual Shipments for Apple

The global smartphone market grew for the first time since 2017, with annual shipments reaching 1.39 billion units in 2021.

TSMC CAPEX Breakdown; PC Shipments Up as Bottlenecks Ease

20th January 2022

TSMC to Boost Capex in 2022 Driven by 5G Applications, High Performance Computing

TSMC’s $40-44 billion capital spending plan for 2022 is above the industry forecast of $38-42 billion, which is based on the company’s investment plan announced in the second half of 2021. So, what are the implications of this aggressive spend for TSMC and the semiconductor industry? Dale Gai finds out.

2022 US Smartphone Expectations; Location Leadership Still HERE; CES Auto Top 10

13th January 2022

Apple iPhone is No. 1 in China for 6 Consecutive Weeks Now