- Premium smartphones are the best on the sales side
- The midscale sector is also growing
- Samsung could soon be overtaken by Apple in terms of market share
According to a new study by Canalys, which needs no further introduction, the most expensive smartphones would sell better than all the others. In Western Europe, 41% of mobiles sold would be worth more than 800 dollars, against 25% between 200 and 399 dollars. These are the best performing scores, with entry-level devices representing only 15% market share here. Real assets for those who specialize in high prices, like Apple and its premium iPhones unveiled every year (or almost) in September.
Google, for its part, has just unveiled the Pixel Fold, its first folding phone at 1,899 euros sold in Germany, Japan and the United States but not in France. The device has a diagonal of 7.6 inches when unfolded, and should overshadow the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip from Samsung. The latter are today number one on the foldable market, capturing no less than 62% of the sector according to figures from Counterpoint dating from June 2022.
Better value for money from major brands
The crisis therefore seems to have clearly reshuffled the cards, with premium mobiles representing only 31% market share in 2022. But Canalys numbers show that smartphones between $400 and $599 are also selling quite well, with +6% in about two years.
With models likeiPhoneSE third generation where the very recent Google Pixel 7a, the number one manufacturers also know how to convince with this type of budget. In this segment, it is most often a question of offering lower performance and lower screen resolutions than for high-end models. The camera is also less effective, in general.
Apple catches up with Samsung
However, Google is not even represented in the top 5 best-selling smartphone brands in Western Europe, where Samsung holds the number one position with 35% market share. The Korean drops here by 16 points compared to the first quarter of 2022, a year earlier. Apple, on the other hand, goes from 31% to 33% and could therefore soon take the place of the winner from its historical competitor.
Samsung and Apple are also partners, in particular for the production of the panels that equip the iPhone. But there too, Cupertino could soon do well with its own OLED screens…
(Source)