Samsung's market influence is increasing and the company had registered positive Q3 results in numerous regions this year. Samsung is the most prolific smartphone brand in many markets, one of which is the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
According to a new report by The Korea Herald citing industry watcher IDC, Samsung was the leading smartphone brand in the GCC region in Q3 2020. The company's success in this market throughout the third quarter of the year is attributed to entry-level and mid-range solutions. They have helped the company maintain the lead in the region, however, Samsung also greatly benefited from Huawei's falloff.
Samsung grasps nearly half of the GCC smartphone market
Samsung had a market share of 45% in the GCC region at the end of the July-September period, representing a 5% year-on-year increase. In contrast, Huawei lost a lot of market influence and Samsung was able to capitalize on its rival's falloff by recapturing its share.
Samsung was followed by Apple with only 15% market share in the GCC region. Apple had lost 3% market share over the past 12 months. The third and fourth places were occupied by Huawei and Xiaomi who have recorded a market share of 13% and 12%, respectively.
Although the GCC smartphone segment declined by 0.9% quarter-on-quarter, IDC expects the market to recover in Q4 2020 and projects a 6.5% increase over Q3.
