Vendors shipped 31.9 million smartphones in the U.S. in quarter two of 2020, a 5% year-on-year decline, but an 11% quarter-on-quarter increase, according to Canalys. And it was an especially good quarter for Apple.
Resumption of Chinese factory operations at the end of March and stores reopening in May and June were key contributors to sequential market growth, says Canalys. Apple and Samsung accounted for seven out of every 10 devices sold, and Apple established a new domestic record in the second quarter, shipping 15 million iPhones. It shipped 15% more of its flagship iPhone 11 than last year’s best-seller, the iPhone XR, notes the research group. With the launch of the iPhone SE, Apple’s quarterly market share ballooned to 47%.
Samsung matched 2019 shipment levels, but its fortunes reversed. It shipped 59% fewer Galaxy S20 5G series handsets than S10 series models in Q2 2019. Rampant point-of-sale closures immediately followed Q1 channel fill, and Samsung found itself leaning heavily on its low-end Galaxy A10e and A20 devices to prop up shipments.
The average price of a smartphone in the US hit US$503, 10% lower than in quarter two of 2019.
