Samsung dominated the European smarphone market in Q2. New figures from Canalys analysts revealed Apple held its position in third place but lost market share.
Samsung Top, Apple Stays Third
Samsung hit 40 percent market share, a 20 percent increase from the same time last year. Meanwhile, Apple lost 17 percent of its market share and had 14 percent of the market. It shipped 6.4 million iPhones in Q2 2019 compared to 7.7 million in the same quarter last year. Samsung shipped 18.3 million units, 12 million of which came from its A series. The top four models in that range, the Galaxy A10, A20e, A40, and A50, shipped more units than any other vendor.
Huawei was second to Samsung. However, it took a hit, falling 16 percent to 18.8 percent market share with 8.5 million units shipped. Analysts attributed this to political restrictions in the U.S. Xiamoi, meanwhile, grew 40 percent, shipping 4.3 million units.
Canalys Senior Analyst BenStanton commented:
Samsung obviously had enough of losing share in Europe. For years, a focus on operating profit has stifled its product strategy. But this year, the shackles are off, and winning back market share is its clear priority. But its success is not solely due to product strategy. Samsung has been quick to capitalize on Huawei’s US Entity List problems, working behind the scenes to position itself as a stable alternative in conversations with important retailers and operators. A lack of brand loyalty among users of low-end and mid-range Android smartphones, which has blighted Samsung for so long, has become the catalyst for its best performance in years. Europe keeps its reputation as one of the most brand-volatile smartphone markets in the world, rife with danger, but also opportunity.