Samsung shines amid global smartphone supply constraints

Samsung was able to ship more than 77 million Galaxy phones, only one among the two of the top phone sellers to achieve the feat

Counterpoint Research released the latest smartphone shipments report for the quarter ending March 2022.

Amid the supply constraints over the geo-political tension over the Russia-Ukraine war and Covid pandemic-induced lockdowns in manufacturing hubs in Asia, Samsung has emerged the top player among its competitors.

Despite 7 per cent Y-o-Y (Year-on-Year) decline in global mobile shipments (328 million-plus in January-March 2022), Samsung was able to ship more than 77 million Galaxy phones. This feat made the South Korean tech giant one of only two top-five smartphone brands to come close to its pre-pandemic Q1 shipments.

"The global smartphone market presented a mixed bag in the first quarter of 2022. Samsung seems to have overcome component shortages that affected its supply last year, as evidenced by higher-than-expected growth in its shipments despite a late flagship launch. Major Chinese OEMs such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, meanwhile, faced a greater component supply crunch, resulting in their shipments falling by 20%, 19% and 19% YoY respectively," said Senior Analyst Harmeet Singh Walia at Counterpoint Research.

Apple's iPhone shipments remained flat with 59 million units and it was mainly driven by strong demand for the latest iPhone 13 series. However, the Cupertino-based company beat both the sales expectations for every unit besides accessories. The iPhone sales in the last quarter touched $50.6 billion, a 5.5 per cent increase from a year ago.

Read more | Apple reports slower Q2 sales growth, but results top estimates

Others Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo have been severely hurt by the chipset and other critical components shortage.

In India too, the Galaxy series phone-maker has managed to beat the expectations. "Samsung led the Indian smartphone market in March 2022 capturing 22% shipment volume and 27% revenue share, according to Counterpoint Research Monthly India Smartphone Tracker. Timely portfolio expansion with 5G capability down to M, F & A series and strong uptake of the Galaxy S22 and foldable flagship series helped Samsung grow back to the leadership position, " noted Neil Shah, Vice President of Research, Counterpoint.

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