According to a report released by market research firm Counterpoint Research on Monday (January 31), Apple regained its "Best-Selling Smartphone Brand of the Month in Europe" with a strong December performance. This title has changed hands four times during the year, with both Samsung and Xiaomi reaching the top.
In terms of quarterly performance, Apple has been very close to Samsung, with market share of 33% and 32% respectively, a difference of only one percentage point.
Throughout the year, the European smartphone market grew by 8% in 2021, but given the 14% decline in 2020, it is still well below pre-COVID-19 levels. By brand, Samsung's annual sales rose by 6%, still ranking first, with a market share of 32%; Apple sales rose by 25% and the market share reached 26%, shortening the gap with Samsung.
Jan Stryjak, deputy director of Counterpoint Research, wrote, "The European market will be even more intense in the coming months, and the companies on the list are expected to launch some impressive flagship devices. He speculated that the performance of Samsung's latest flagship S22 series will be more significantly improved than that of the S21 and S20, and the rumored iPhone SE should also give Apple a mid-season boost.
Speaking about Xiaomi, Stryjak said, "Despite the difficulties encountered in the second half of the year, Xiaomi still recorded the highest annual sales in the company's history in Europe in 2021. And realme and vivo also have very good performances. ”
Stryjak pointed out that this year's market still continues an important theme since the outbreak of the new crown - supply chain bottlenecks. Apple's long-term majority investment bank, Wedbush, praised the company's response to supply chain shortages after Apple's earnings report, "With its back to the wall, Apple gave Rocky Balboa-esque performance. ”