Samsung Electronics Leads Market Share
But Galaxy S20 Sales Lag
Apple Performs Well with iPhone 12
Xiaomi Rises, Filling Huawei's Gap
[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] In the European smartphone market, which experienced sharp fluctuations last year, Samsung Electronics barely maintained its number one market share. It is interpreted that the sales of the flagship model 'Galaxy S20' were unexpectedly low, allowing Xiaomi and Apple to take over the space left by Huawei.
According to Counterpoint Research's European smartphone market report on the 2nd, Samsung Electronics sold 59.8 million smartphones in Europe throughout last year, recording a 12% decrease compared to the same period the previous year. The market share remained at 32%, maintaining the overall first place.
Apple, ranked second in the market, sold 41.3 million units, showing only a 1% decrease in sales compared to the previous year, performing relatively well. Its market share also rose by 3 percentage points from 19% to 22%.
The fortunes of Chinese companies were mixed. Xiaomi's sales last year reached 26.7 million units, a 90% increase from 14 million units the previous year. Its market share surged to 14%, overtaking Huawei, which was third last year, to claim third place.
On the other hand, Huawei, which followed the process of being phased out of 5G equipment in Europe, recorded smartphone sales of only 22.9 million units, a 43% decrease compared to the previous year. Its market share also fell by 7 percentage points from 19% to 12%, dropping to fourth place.
Oppo, a Chinese company that entered the European market in 2018, also showed a strong growth trend as a new player by selling 6.5 million units, an 82% increase from the previous year. Its market share settled at 4%, ranking fifth.
Jan Styrijak, Associate Director (AD) of Counterpoint Research, who authored the report, summarized, "The European smartphone market in 2020 showed a 14% decline compared to the previous year. April saw a drop of about 50%, marking the worst month of the year, and as the COVID-19 virus, which had calmed down during the summer, surged again from September, lockdowns by country led the market to stagnate once more."
He evaluated, "Samsung Electronics' market share slightly increased, but this was because its sales did not decrease as much as the overall market decline," adding, "It did not capture as much market share as expected in the market left by Huawei."
He further analyzed, "The first flagship model, Galaxy S20, did not sell as well as the existing mid-range phones like the A51 or A71, or the competing Xiaomi series," and "New competitors also surged, and Apple's new product 'iPhone 12' stopped Samsung's dominance in the 5G market."
He continued, "Xiaomi showed the most successful business story in the European market last year," and "Although Apple's sales decreased, it demonstrated the strength of the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE, and the iPhone 12 also successfully made its market debut."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
