According to research firm Canalys, the North American smartphone market declined 6.4% annually in Q2 2022. The total shipment volume for the period between April to June reached 35.4 million. The figure for the same period last year was 37.8 million. The firm is blaming the global economic challenges, inflation, and poor seasonal demand for this decline.
Apple and Samsung dominate the North American smartphone market
As usual, Apple leads the market with a staggering 52% share. That means every second smartphone sold in North America this past quarter was an iPhone. It rode on the back of solid demand for the iPhone 13 series and the entry-level iPhone SE (3rd Gen). The company, unsurprisingly, saw its shipment volume grow about 3% during the period despite an overall decline. Perhaps that’s how the North American smartphone market is. It is dominated by a handful of brands and they often thrive at the expense of smaller brands during these kinds of slowdowns.
Samsung, the second-biggest smartphone vendor in the region, also saw its shipments grow about 4% in Q2 2022. It captured 26% of the market. The Korean firm’s decision to integrate the Galaxy Note lineup into the Ultra model of the Galaxy S series paid off. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, which comes with a built-in S Pen, was the company’s best-selling phone during the three-month window.
Motorola sits third with a market share of 9%. The Lenovo-owned firm also managed to marginally increase its shipments. TCL is next on the list and it is the only brand in the top five to suffer a decline. Google rounded off the list and it saw strong growth of 230% in shipments. The rest of the smartphone brands operating in North America suffered a combined 61 percent decline.
Six iPhones in the top ten best-selling phones in Q2 2022
Economic headwinds usually affect the sales of low and mid-range smartphones more than flagships. And the latest report by Canalys suggests the same. The iPhone 13 was the best-selling smartphone in North America in Q2 2022. It was followed by the iPhone SE (3rd Gen), iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 12 as the five most-sold phones in the region this past quarter.
Following the five iPhone models is Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. Motorola’s Moto G Power (2022) and Samsung’s Galaxy A13 budget models followed the S Pen-wielding flagship. The iPhone 13 Mini and the vanilla Galaxy S22 make up the top ten best-selling phones in North America during the period between April to June.
The global smartphone market returned to growth in 2021 following an unprecedented slowdown in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But several other factors have not hit the industry once again. The outlook for the third quarter of the year isn’t bright either. Samsung, the world’s biggest smartphone brand, has already lowered its sales target expecting slugging demand. We may see fewer device launches for the rest of the year as companies struggle to clear inventory.
2022-08-24 15:07:09