Apple has once gain overtaken Samsung for the title of the world’s top smartphone maker, based on Q4 2021 shipments.
Apple and Samsung go back and forth for the top spot, with each benefiting from release cycles, major upgrades, and a plethora of other factors. According to research firm Canalys, Apple took the top spot in Q4 2021, with 22% of worldwide shipments. Samsung came in second with 20%, while Xiaomi rounded out the top three with 12%.
“Apple is back at the top of the smartphone market after three quarters, driven by a stellar performance from the iPhone 13,” said Canalys Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia. “Apple saw unprecedented iPhone performance in Mainland China, with aggressive pricing for its flagship devices keeping the value proposition strong. Apple’s supply chain is starting to recover, but it was still forced to cut production in Q4 amid shortages of key components and could not make enough iPhones to meet demand. In prioritized markets, it maintained adequate delivery times, but in some markets its customers had to wait to get their hands on the latest iPhones.”
One of Apple’s greatest strengths has always been its supply chain, giving the company the ability to weather disruptions better than its competitors. That was certainly true in Q4, with supply chain issues hitting smaller companies much harder.
“Supply chain disruption affected low-end vendors the most,” said Canalys VP Mobility Nicole Peng. “Component manufacturers are eking out additional production, but it will take years for major foundries to significantly increase chip capacity. Smartphone brands are already innovating to make the most of their circumstances, tweaking device specs in response to available materials, approaching emerging chipmakers to secure new sources for ICs, focusing product lines on the best-selling models and staggering new product releases. These practices lend an advantage to larger brands, and they are set to stay for the short term, as bottlenecks will not ease until the second half of 2022.”