According to data collected by Counterpoint Research, the global smartphone market shrank by about 2% last year. But the same source also claims the high-end smartphone market has grown a lot.
In 2018, the sales of smartphone that cost more than $400 increased by 18%. What’s more interesting, the leaders are Apple (51%) and Samsung (22%). As you see, their market share accounted for 73% of all sales. In addition, due to the strong performance of the P20 and Mate 20 series, Huawei’s market share in the high-end market (10%) almost doubled, up 97% year-on-year.
If dividing the high-end smartphone market into several groups, the biggest sales come from smartphones that are priced between $400 and $600. Apple continued to lead this market segment throughout 2018, and the performance of the OnePlus was equally noticeable. In fact, OnePlus is one of the fastest growing brands in the smartphone market of $400-600, most of which is attributed to its popularity in the Indian market. In addition, the cooperation between the United States and T-Mobile seems to have played a role.
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Apple is an absolute leader in the highest-end market with a price of more than $800. It accounts for 80% of sales. However, Samsung’s and Huawei’s market share in this segment have not been calculated yet.
In September 2017, the smartphone market share of more than #800 accounted for only 8% of the entire high-end smartphone market. But in October 2018, the market share of these high-end devices has reached 48%.
According to Counterpoint Research, the growth of the ultra-high-end market will continue due to the release of 5G devices and foldable devices. Although consumers seem willing to spend more money on smartphones, the data shows that each user’s replacement cycle is gradually pulling on.