Samsung Smartphones Take 1st Place in the Philippines in Q3, Overtaking Chinese Companies

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Samsung Electronics has overtaken Chinese companies to become the number one in the Philippine smartphone market in the third quarter of this year.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 26th, Samsung Electronics recorded a 23% market share in the Philippine smartphone market in the third quarter of this year, ranking first.

The Philippine smartphone market decreased by 9% compared to the same period last year in the third quarter due to COVID-19 related movement restrictions (lockdowns) and supply chain issues, but Samsung Electronics raised its market share by 8 percentage points from 15% in the same period last year to 23%, climbing from fourth to first place. Counterpoint Research evaluated that mid-range products with top specifications in their class, such as the Galaxy A12 and Galaxy A21s, led to Samsung Electronics' market share increase.

Realme, which was first place with a 23% share in the third quarter of last year, fell to second place with a 22% share in the third quarter of this year, followed by Chinese brands Vivo (17%), Oppo (15%), and Xiaomi (13%).

Meanwhile, the use of online channels in the Philippine smartphone market has continued to rise. In the third quarter of this year, online channel shipments accounted for 16% of the total smartphone shipments in the Philippine market, an increase of 13 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Xiaomi led online channel sales with a 31% market share, followed by Realme and Samsung Electronics.