Smartphone market share worldwide 2009-2022, by vendor

Samsung held the largest slice of the global smartphone market by shipments during the third quarter of 2021, regaining ground Apple made with the launch of the iPhone 12 at the end of 2020. Huawei did not make it to the leading five vendors where they dropped out of in the previous quarter, with Xiaomi taking a tight grip on the third position.

Huawei falls outside the leading five vendors

Samsung, known for consumer products such as mobile devices and home entertainment systems, is consistently among the global leading smartphone vendors. While Apple and Samsung are typically the two major companies challenging for the top spot, Huawei had provided a strong challenge in recent years. Huawei's market share reached 20 percent in the second quarter of 2020, however, strong performances from rivals and the effects of the U.S. trade ban have since seen Huawei fall outside the list of top five vendors by shipments.

Samsung smartphone sales

Samsung’s main line of smartphone products is the Galaxy series, the first of which was released in April 2009. Samsung has suffered a steep drop-off in shipments as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The company shipped 75.5 million units in the second quarter of 2019, a figure that fell to 54.2 million units by the second quarter of 2020. While their shipments increased during the year, it fell back to 59 million units in the second quarter of 2021.

Apple are a major manufacturer of smartphones worldwide, with the company shipping more than 90.1 million iPhones worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2020. Apple’s sales tend to be very cyclical, peaking in the fourth quarter each year, and in the second quarter of 2021, they shipped 44.2 units.