Overview:

Smartphone sales remain flat, China declines further, shipments above sales

• Global smartphone sales remained flat Month-on-Month (MoM) in March. Sales in China declined to their lowest level since February 2020 due to weak demand and lockdowns in several provinces. The MoM decline in China was somewhat offset by increased demand in India. Sales in the US also increased, driven by the first full month of sales of the Galaxy S22.
• Shipments (sell-in) improved MoM in March from a low base in February, however they remained lower than a year ago. Weak demand has led to an inventory build for OEMs, especially in China. Shipments in Eastern Europe also declined as several OEMs exited the Russian market and the Russia-Ukraine conflict created uncertainties. OEMs will find it incrementally harder to make sales in 2Q as channels face slowing demand and already have ample inventory.

Samsung becomes #1 smartphone brand in Q1 2022; Apple captures over two-third market share in Japan

• Samsung maintained its #1 position in March driven by a full month of sales of the Galaxy S22 series and the refresh of its A series portfolio. Samsung also regained its #1 position for the full quarter in Q1 2022. The S22 series started off better than the S21 series. However, towards the end of the month, the Game Optimization Service (GOS) issue hampered Samsung’s sales.
• Apple’s share declined in March as sales continue to soften due to seasonal decline and increased competition in the premium segment from the Galaxy S22 series. Apple launched the iPhone SE 2022 and initial sales were promising in Japan.. However, within US and China, the iPhone SE 2022 launch was lackluster

Samsung gains and Apple loses in the premium segment. S22 Ultra contributes over half of S22 series sales

• The premium segment held share as Samsung made gains, while Apple lost; much like a zero-sum game. This was driven by the first full month of S22 series sales.
• Our primary research surveys within the US showed that customers are attracted to the Note-like design, S pen, and the camera features of the S22 Ultra.

Table of Contents:

• Global Sell-in vs Sell through
• Global Smartphone Market Analysis: Market Share by OEMs, Price band
• USA, China, India, Europe Smartphone Market Analysis, and insights
• Global Hardware Feature Analysis: Key Specs – Camera, Display, RAM, NAND
• Global Hit Models

Number of Pages: 44
Published Date: April 2022