Apple is breaking records for the quarter and the last decade of 2021 was again successful for it. It has earned $71.6 billion from iPhone sales and generated the lion’s share of its revenue from sales in China and North America. According to analysts at Counterpoint Research, Apple accounted for 57% in the US in the fourth quarter of 2021. The annual growth was 17%.
In second place was Samsung, which controlled 24% of the US market share and grew by 11% over the year. The company noted that iPhone demand outstripped supply, adding that Samsung was also facing shortages (especially when it came to the Galaxy S21 series). Counterpoint reported that the Galaxy A12 was the top-selling Android phone in 2021 in the US.
The fourth quarter also turned out to be good for Motorola, which took third place with a market share of 9%. In the last decade of 2021, the brand has sold the most smartphones in the US in its history (breaking the previous high in the fourth quarter of 2019), according to analysts. It is believed that the departure of LG and interesting offers in the segment of affordable devices contributed to the success of Motorola. Moto G Pure (the first Mediatek phone in the country) was one of the top three sellers in Q4.
Alcatel (2%) and OnePlus (2%) came in fourth and fifth respectively. Analysts believe OnePlus has achieved 524% year-on-year growth, pointing to the success of T-Mobile’s Nord line and T-Mobile’s partnership with Walmart. Google ranked sixth with a 1% market share in the US in the fourth quarter. The annual increase was 56% thanks to the Pixel 6 series. The result could have been better if not for the shortage of devices at the start of sales.
Gizchina News of the week
OnePlus may return to the production of “flagship killers” – affordable smartphones with powerful features
During the past years, OnePlus built a reputation for delivering flagship smartphones at an affordable price point. For this, the company’s devices were even called “flagship killers”. OnePlus smartphones have grown in price over time, equaling this indicator with flagship products from other manufacturers. However, now it seems that the brand intends to return to its roots.
The authoritative Chinese tech blog Digital Chat Station stated that OnePlus is working on a new range of smartphones; the main features of which will be high performance and gaming-oriented, as well as an affordable price. Reports point that smartphones of the new series in China will cost from $315 to $475. As a rule, the cost of smartphones in other countries exceeds the Chinese; but it is unlikely that the prices of new products will reach the level of other flagships.
Digital Chat Station reports that the smartphones of the new series will be running on the basis of flagship chipsets and will receive flat displays. We do not yet know more characteristics details, including the models of chipsets in use. Potentially, these can be either the current Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or MediaTek Dimensity 9000; or solutions from past years, such as the Snapdragon 888, which is also very good for the cost.
In order to reduce the cost of new products, OnePlus will make a number of compromises; regarding, for example, cameras, moisture protection, support for wireless charging, or other minor functions. Unfortunately, there are no more details about OnePlus’ new “flagship killers” yet, however, they will probably start to appear soon.
