Apple edges out Samsung to claim top honors in Q4 smartphone shipments

A pile of smartphones from different brands on a black desk
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Tereza Hanoldova)

Apple continued its dominance in the global smartphone market as it led shipments during the fourth quarter of 2021. The second spot went to Samsung, which pushed Xiaomi on to the third place for the October-December quarter, considered the best for sales due to the festivities and Black Friday sales. 

Market research firm Canalys says Apple claimed the top slot from Samsung with a 22% market share in overall sales, in spite of facing supply chain issues and chipset shortage that forced the Cupertino giant to reorganise its sales plans and divert the chipsets from iPads to the iPhone 13 series

Q4 of 2021 - Gainers and Losers

A render showing the Galaxy S21 FE in four colors

(Image credit: WinFuture / Roland Quandt)

The biggest loser over the quarter was Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, which got pushed to the third spot while its domestic rivals Oppo and Vivo also slid one step. The three Chinese companies claimed market share of 12%, 9% and 8% respectively.

Canalys report claimed Apple had edged Samsung of its perch only in this quarter, driven by the robust demand for the iPhone 13 series that arrived in September. The company's supply chain was affected due to the global pandemic that caused Apple to reduce output targets, even as they moved a part of iPhone manufacture to India. 

“Apple saw unprecedented iPhone performance in Mainland China, with aggressive pricing for its flagship devices keeping the value proposition strong,” says the report.

Samsung's market share stayed largely constant around the 20% mark during Q4 of 2021. In fact, the South Korean tech giant showed a slight spike in shipments during the last quarter compared to the earlier one, when its share was only 17%. The big loser over the quarter was Xiaomi and the other top Chinese phone makers. 

Q1 of 2022 - Things will definitely change

Apple

(Image credit: Future)

We believe things would change in the first quarter of 2022, given the slew of new flagship launches that Chinese phone makers have lined up. While Xiaomi would be looking to get a leg-up from the global launch of its Xiaomi 12 series, Samsung will be hoping to match it's earlier growth numbers from the Galaxy S22 line-up

Would Apple be in the race during the first quarter? Looks unlikely though they might make a return in the April-June quarter, provided the company does launch the mid-price iPhone SE around which rumors have been growing around the past few weeks now. 

That said, most phone makers would be left juggling chipsets, given that the industry expects shortages to persist at least till the end of 2022. With a slew of new flagship chipsets coming from Qualcomm, Samsung and MediaTek, one thing is certain - we can expect smarter handsets in the next couple of quarters. 

Want to know about the latest happenings in tech? Follow TechRadar India on TwitterFacebook and Instagram!

TOPICS
Read more
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max on colored backgrounds
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: old rivals send out their best
A silhouette with a question mark representing the Samsung Galaxy S25 next to an iPhone 16 on a split blue and orange background
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs iPhone 16: As rumors heat up, could Samsung best Apple this year?
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Honor Magic 7 Pro, side by side
Chinese flagship phones are great value for money, but they won't stay cheaper for much longer – here's why
a photo of an iPhone 16 Pro Max on top of a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
iPhone vs Galaxy video: which would you choose?
Three-image composite; A Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Snapdragon 8 Elite graphic, and see-through iPhone 16 Pro
AI step aside – 3 ways phone hardware could finally get interesting again in 2025
Samsung Galaxy S24 hands on handheld back straight white
The Samsung Galaxy S25’s best feature will probably be one you can’t see
Latest in iPhone
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
The latest iPhone 17 Pro Max leak may have given us another look at its upcoming redesign
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
New iPhone 17 Air leak may have revealed some key specs – and how it compares to the iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 16 Review
Three iPhone 17 model dummy units appear in a hands-on video leak
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Review
iPhone 17 Air leaks suggest it'll get next-gen battery – and offset the 17 Pro Max's weight gains
Two hands holding the Tecno Spark Slim phone
The world’s thinnest phone was just revealed, but a new iPhone 17 Air leak suggests it could be even slimmer
Apple iPhone 16e on blue background
This week's best Apple iPhone 16e deals: where to get the latest iPhone for cheap
Latest in News
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso pointing at someone in Ted Lasso season 2
Believe it, baby: Ted Lasso season 4 is officially in development for Apple TV+ and Jason Sudeikis will reprise his role as the titular soccer coach
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #1146)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #377)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #643)