Market research firms have reported that the iPhone 13 series saw strong demand in Q4, 2021, even with few but significant upgrades. A new report by Canalys corroborates those findings and states that Apple was the most popular smartphone brand in the fourth quarter of 2021 with a 22% share of the global smartphone market and Samsung dropped to the second position with 20% market share.
With the same design language as the iPhone 12 series, the iPhone 13 series introduced a bigger battery and improved camera system with features such as sensor image stabilization, cinematic mode, and others, across all four models. The iPhone 13 Pro models received a 120Hz ProMotion display, macro photography mode, and other additional upgrades.
Apple captured 22% of the global smartphone market thanks to iPhone 13’s performance in Q4, 2021, especially in China
Although Apple was criticized for offering minor improvements, the iPhone 13 series was a massive hit amongst consumers. Wedbush reported that Apple sold over 40 million units of the latest iPhone flagship series in the Holiday season, ending in December 2021. The report accredited the series’ strong demand in China for successful sales and Canalys does too.
Canalys Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia said that competitive pricing of the new iPhone series propelled its demand in China.
“Apple is back at the top of the smartphone market after three quarters, driven by a stellar performance from the iPhone 13. Apple saw unprecedented iPhone performance in Mainland China, with aggressive pricing for its flagship devices keeping the value proposition strong.”
Apple accounted for 22% of worldwide smartphone shipments in Q4 2021, thanks to strong demand for the iPhone 13. But overall shipments for the quarter grew just 1%, as vendors faced supply chain problems and a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.
Reportedly, Apple steered the impact of the global chip shortage by cutting iPad production to utilize common components in the latest iPhone series to meet strong iPhone 13 demand. However, Apple’s competition was not too behind.
Samsung took second place, down from the top spot in Q3 2021, with a market share of 20%. Xiaomi maintained its third-place position with a 12% share. OPPO and vivo completed the top five with 9% and 8% shares respectively.
