14 DAY TRIAL // Apple managed to overtake Samsung in the fourth quarter of the last year to finally become the number one phone maker in the entire world, but according to recent research, the party won’t last long.
TrendForce says in a forecast that the South Korean tech giant is likely to reach a market share of 18.1 percent of the first quarter of 2021, with Apple to decline to 15.8 percent.
And it’s all because the iPhone 12 has already reached its peak, so sales are now likely to slow down a little, giving other companies, including Samsung, the chance to reclaim lost share.
Interestingly enough, Apple’s market share is expected to be very close to the one of other Chinese makers like OPPO and Xiaomi, both of which would surpass the 15 percent threshold.
Samsung to top phone sales this quarter
TrendForce expects Samsung to also see increasing competition from Chinese firms.
“Retaining the leadership position will be increasingly challenging for Samsung as it has been losing market share to several Chinese brands that have risen rapidly over these past few years. Regarding product strategy, Samsung will likely combine the Galaxy Fold series, equipped with foldable displays, with the Galaxy Note series, which offer large-sized displays, into the same flagship lineup,” the company says.
“The main focus of Samsung’s sales efforts will still be on the Galaxy A series that encompasses models across the high-end, mid-range, and low-end segments of the price spectrum. To effectively compete against Chinese brands that boast better price-performance ratio for their devices, Samsung will maintain high specifications and a price advantage for Galaxy A devices.”
TrendForce expects the global smartphone production for the current quarter to reach 342 million units, which represents an increase of 25 percent from the same quarter a year ago but a decline of 6 percent from Q4 2020.