According to a report by Counterpoint Research, premium smartphone sales worldwide increased 24 percent year-on-year last year, reaching their highest level ever. Among the manufacturers producing premium smartphones are many companies such as Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi. However, not every high-end phone is a premium smartphone. The Hong Kong-based research firm defines a premium smartphone as “a phone that costs more than $400.”
“HIGHEST SHARE EVER”
Looking at the report, we see that the growth in the premium segment has outstripped the 7% annual growth in overall global smartphone sales in 2021. This segment accounted for around 27 percent (the highest share ever) of total smartphone shipments.
THE LEADER OF PREMIUM PHONES
Apple, which is the manufacturer of iPhones and recently introduced the iPhone 13 series with 5G, led the premium smartphone market with a market share of approximately 60 percent in 2021. New launches contributed to the company’s iPhone sales.
South Korean technology giant Samsung followed with 17 percent, Huawei with 6 percent, Xiaomi with 5 percent, Oppo with 4 percent and Vivo with 3 percent.
The report said that Samsung’s high-end foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip 3, launched in August, performed well, especially in South Korea, North America and Western Europe.
On the other hand, it was stated that the share of 4G (LTE) will decrease further with the spread of 5G to developing regions. However, Huawei will continue to launch new devices with 4G support.