Samsung snatched back the crown from Apple in global smartphone market in Q1 2021
Last year, Samsung remained on the top spot in terms of global smartphone market shipments till the third quarter. But, Apple snatched the crown from Samsung in the fourth quarter of 2021 because of the strong demand for the 5G supported iPhone 12 series.
Moving forward, the South Korean tech giant unveiled its latest Galaxy S21 flagship series ahead of the previous launch periods as an effort to get back its top spot in the global smartphone market. At the same time, the company introduced several mid-range phones that having premium features.
As a result, it looks like the efforts of Samsung giving a significant outcome as it surpassed Apple by shipping 76.5 million units and secured a huge 22% of the total market share. Besides, the Cupertino-based company slipped to its real place (AKA second), shipped 52.4 million iPhones, and captured a 15% share.
After these top 2 smartphone vendors, there are three Chinese brands that have listed in the top five. Xiaomi impressively gained its best single-quarter performance ever, with 62% growth. However, the company sold 49.0 million units with a 14% market share.
Oppo and Vivo completed the top five, shipping 37.6 million units and 36.0 million units respectively. Huawei, which no longer includes Honor, is now in seventh place with 18.6 million units, as the former world number one remains shackled by US sanctions.
Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton said:
“In addition to great product value, Xiaomi is now also making strides to recruit local talent, become more channel-friendly, and lead in high-end innovation, as seen with the Mi 11 Ultra and its recent foldable, the Mi Mix Fold. Its competitors offer superior channel margin, but Xiaomi’s sheer volume actually gives distributors a better opportunity to make money than rival brands. But the race is not over.”
He added – “Oppo and Vivo are hot on its heels, and are positioning in the mid-range in many regions to box Xiaomi in at the low end. Honor is also a looming threat. It has already struck supply chain deals and is now signing distribution agreements to re-enter several markets in the second half of 2021. Xiaomi is leading the pack, but the race has only just started.”
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| Source – Canalys |
Apple doesn’t want to enter the Samsung-led foldables market without technological uniqueness. The company has been absent from the rapidly growing foldable segment, which recently welcomed a triple foldable handset from Huawei.
According to Kipost, Apple is seeking its own supply chain of ultra-thin glass technology. The company desires to have its own control over some particular aspects. The move is to differentiate technological innovation from Samsung.
Samsung is expected to supply OLED panels for foldable Apple products. Ultra-thin glass, which is a crucial component in foldable screens, is largely controlled by Samsung D. The reason is the company’s saturation in the international market.
Apple doesn’t reportedly want everything to be done by display manufacturers. If it happens, the company won’t have anything to differentiate its product from rivals. The desire is necessary as Apple is already too late in the market.
Apart from ultra-thin glass, the US tech giant is looking to attain control over supply chain management too. The company is also exploring backplate technology, to ensure critical areas of demonization without any hurry.
UTG is a key material used in foldable displays, which is responsible for flexibility and durability. Backplate in foldable devices often refers to the component that supports the display, which should be durable for long-lasting products.
The report suggests Apple wants uniqueness in two crucial materials—UTG and backplates. This means Samsung Display won’t be able to breathe freely even after being the main foldable panel supplier for Apple’s future foldable devices.
Japan’s KDDI selected Samsung as the main vendor for 5G expansion. Samsung’s vRAN will be deployed by KDDI starting next year for 5G expansion. The company will provide 4G and 5G O-RAN-compliant vRAN solutions in Japan.
Samsung today confirmed selection by KDDI as a key 4G and 5G O-RAN compliant vRAN provider for their Open RAN deployment in Japan. The partnership with KDDI will help Samsung strengthen its role in Japan’s 5G expansion.
“Together with KDDI, we are thrilled to take this significant step and strengthen our presence in Japan,” said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
The South Korean tech giant noted that it’s bringing vRAN 3.0 solution, a full suite of O-RAN compliant radios supporting low- and mid-bands including advanced Massive MIMO radios and third-party radio integration support.
Kazuyuki Yoshimura, Chief Technology Officer of KDDI: “Today’s announcement represents KDDI’s dedication to bringing innovative technologies to Japan. We are proud to deliver a cutting-edge and reliable radio access network.”
Key features of Samsung CognitiV Networks Operations Suite (NOS) will also be offered. The features streamline the onboarding, deployment, and operation processes, enabling KDDI to transform its widespread network efficiently.
Beyond that Samsung and KDDI will expand the reach of Open RAN in the coming years. For now, KDDI’s Open RAN network will feature enhanced capabilities for improved energy efficiency, optimized performance, and intelligent automation.
Samsung Wallet getting an instant Tap to Transfer feature for Galaxy users. The latest addition unlocks instant and seamless money transfer. This move reiterates Samsung’s commitment to upscaling the Galaxy ecosystem.
The Tap to Transfer feature allows users of Samsung Wallet on Galaxy phones to instantly transfer money by tapping the backs of their devices together. The transfer process is powered by NFC technology embedded in Galaxy phones.
Samsung confirmed that the feature will be gradually supported through app updates in Samsung Wallet. The Tap to Transfer feature eliminates the need to ask for or input the recipient’s account number during transfers.
This seamless process will help Galaxy users save time and effort as well as reduce the risk of sending money to the wrong account. It’s an answer to Apple iOS 18’s Tap to Cash feature, which allows users to transfer funds with nearby ecosystem devices.
Samsung Wallet allows the recipient to set a representative account for receiving funds and can receive ‘Tap to Transfer’ payments even when their Galaxy’s screen is off – even without opening the Samsung Wallet app.
Here’s how it works:
The user who wants to send money enters the password for their registered account in Samsung Wallet, inputs the transfer amount, then taps their phone against the recipient’s phone and completes the transfer through the default unlock method.
The recipient’s account number transmitted during the ‘Tap to Transfer’ process is encrypted and sent to the sender. Instead of displaying the full account number, only the last four digits of the recipient’s mobile phone number are shown.
The feature is currently available in South Korea and supported by Woori Bank.