Samsung is the undisputed leader in the global smartphone market, but Apple is extending its lead over the South Korean tech giant in the North American market by leaps and bounds.
According to a new report from Canalys, Apple led the smartphone market in North America in Q1 2022 with 19.9 million smartphone shipments and a 51% market share. That’s up by 6% points compared to Q1 2021. Samsung took second place with 10.5 million shipments and a 27% market share. That's down by 1% compared to last year. With that, there is now a 24% points gap between Apple and Samsung in the North American market, up from 17% last year.
The strong sales of the iPhone 13 helped Apple increase its market share. The company also relocated more of its inventory to North America due to uncertain demand globally, which helped it fulfill the demand in the region and deliver backorders from the previous quarter. This further boosted the sales of its smartphone in the region.
Even though Samsung’s market share decreased by 1%, the company sold more units. In Q1 2022, the company shipped 10.5 million smartphones, a slight increase (1% annual growth) compared to Q1 2021. According to Canalys, the new Galaxy S series and Galaxy A series smartphones covering a wide range of price points helped it to sell more units.
Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in the coming months. With the demand for foldable devices increasing rapidly, the upcoming launches from Samsung could help it gain a higher market share. Apple will also drop the iPhone 14 series around the same time. So, it will be interesting to see how these two brands compete.
With LG out of the race, Motorola has taken the third position. It shipped 4 million smartphones and captured a 10% market. It shipped 2.6 million smartphones in Q1 2021. That’s a massive 56% annual growth. TCL stands fourth with 1.4 million shipments and a 4% market share.
At the bottom of the chart is Google. It shipped 1.2 million smartphones and managed to record a 3% market share. While those numbers don’t seem much, the company posted a strikingly impressive annual growth of 380%. With the upcoming Pixel 7 series smartphones, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Buds Pro, Google could capture a larger market in the coming months.
