Apple accounted for 22% of worldwide smartphone shipments in quarter four of 2021, thanks to strong demand for the iPhone 13. The helped the tech giant regain its crown as the top smartphone brand globally.
However, overall smartphone shipments for the quarter grew just 1%, as vendors faced supply chain problems and a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, according to Canalys. The research group says Samsung took second place, down from the top spot in the third quarter of 2021, with a market share of 20%. Xiaomi maintained its third-place position with a 12% share. OPPO and vivo completed the top five with 9% and 8% shares respectively.
“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.”
