Smartphone competition; which one ruled the 2017 markets?

Keeping up with current trends and competition, smartphone companies update their products and add possible new features to attract the consumers. 

But how well do these companies fare in the global markets?

Who is the current winner?

Apple surpassed Samsung to become the top smartphone brand in the fourth quarter of 2017 as it shipped 77.3 million iPhones globally, a report said on Friday.

Samsung which shipped 74.4 million devices in the quarter led the smartphone market (by volume) with a market share of 21% for the entire year.

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“Apple shipments declined 1% annually; however, the company became the number one smartphone brand during the quarter. Apple remained number two in CY 2017, capturing 14% market share,” market research firm Counterpoint Research said.

The global smartphone shipments grew 2% annually in 2017 but declined 5% in the fourth quarter.

The top 10 players, including Apple, Samsung, Huawei, OPPO, and Xiaomi, now capture 77% of the market, thereby leaving just below a quarter of the segment for over 600 brands to compete.

Samsung shipments declined 11% due to a decline in India, China, and Western Europe. The company led the Latin American market.

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“The quarter was a week shorter than last year and Apple was able to increase Average Selling Prices (ASPs) by over $100 to $796 with the launch of the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus — a trade-off the company is content to make,” said Jeff Fieldhack, Research Director at Counterpoint Research.

“The challenge for Apple going forward will be its ability to continue to grow its base of 1.3 billion devices,” he added.

Chinese brands Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO and Huawei remained the fastest growing smartphone brands.

Xiaomi shipped 96 million smartphones, capturing 6.1% market share of the global smartphone market in 2017.

The company became the fifth largest smartphone brand behind Huawei and OPPO in the fourth quarter 2017 with shipments of 31 million smartphones and a market share of 6.9 %, recording a growth of 83% annually.