Following the intense competition, China’s smartphone shipments dropped 11% YoY in Q4 2021 with Apple ending on top and reaching its highest market share ever.
Honor increased its market share by more than two times from a year ago to become China’s second-biggest OEM for the first time after becoming an independent company, said Counterpoint Research’s Q4 2021 Market Monitor.
Both Apple and Honor delivered surprises to the upside and continued the trend of a constantly changing competitive landscape.
While Apple’s iPhone 13 dominated the premium segment thanks to its comparatively lower launch price, Honor’s mid-to-high-end products helped drive the brand’s sales with the Honor 50 retaining the top spot.
vivo’s shipments dropped 13.8% YoY in Q4 2021 with its market share at 16.5%. Xiaomi fell to the fifth position, sustaining its downward trend. OPPO rose to third as it included its sub-brand OnePlus.
"Coming into 2022, we expect Honor to maintain its growth momentum with the help of the newly launched products like the Honor 60 and Magic V. Our weekly China sales data shows the vendor enjoying strong momentum, with its sales in the last two weeks of January increasing 32% over the first two weeks. The market share reached a record high of 17% in the week ended January 30," Counterpoint Research said.
The report pointed out that in 2022, OEMs including Honor, Vivo, and OPPO will keep trying to expand in the premium segment. In addition to foldable products, Android brands will introduce more premium smartphones this year to reclaim some of the market share gained by Apple in 2021.
