Samsung increases unit shipments and market share on 2015

Recent data published by Strategy Analytics highlights changes in global smartphone shipment numbers and market share between Q2 2015 and Q2 2016.

During Q2 this year Samsung shipped more than 77m units, up from just under 72m a year ago.

Apple has not fared so well in the past 12 months, seeing just over 40m sold in Q2 2016 down on its 47.5m during the same period of 2015.

When it comes to vendor marketshare, Samsung’s land grab doesn’t seem so dramatic – moving from 21.3% in Q2 2015 to 22.8% in Q2 2016.

Apple’s share has dropped to 11.9% not only due to Samsung’s continued growth but also thanks to positive sales results from Huawei and OPPO.

The story is more positive for Apple when it comes to consumer interest for future purchases

Research published by GlobalWebIndex offers an interesting twist on the hard sales data put forth above.

According to GWI’s global trends, more consumers are considering the purchase of iPhones than they are Samsung devices.

This is especially true for those located in the APAC, Latin America and MENA regions.

IPhones are also seemingly more desirable among younger consumers, with nearly 40% of global 16-24 year olds saying they would consider buying Apple’s flagship smartphone.

This compares to just over 20% being tempted by a Samsung mobile.

Tablet shipments also still positive for Apple?

As part of its Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies report, Strategy Analytics also looked at tablet sales during Q2 2016.

Apple and Samsung are still two of the major players in this corner of the market, sitting second and third respectively behind the share accounted for by ‘white box’ tablets.

That said, Apple has seen a decline in sales there too; shipping 10m during Q2 2016 compared to 10.9m during the same period last year.

However, iPads still hold onto a quite considerable share compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Tabs with 21.3% over 13.2%.

Takeaways

There are some big product launches expected from both Apple and Samsung in the latter half of 2016 so it will be interesting to see how the mobile landscape changes over the next 12 months.

While the top level smartphone sales data for Samsung continues to look excellent, it will be well aware of emerging smaller brands posing a threat to market share – as is continuing to happen in the tablet market with ‘white box’ devices. 

Apple will also be pleased with the potential for sales as the desirability of iPhones does still manage to surpass those of Samsung devices. 

The question is whether that brand desirability can be sustained in a market of increasingly affordable and higher-powered devices from other manufacturers, and whether initial consumer interest in products is enough to transfer into sales over the next year.