Kantar Worldpanel: The Apple Vs. Samsung Competition Is Over

It seems that the competition between Apple and Samsung is coming to an end, as other manufacturers are gaining larger shares in the global smartphone market.

At least, that what Kantar Worldpanel research firm supports with a recent report. More specifically, for the quarter that ended in May, Samsung held 36% of the US market compared with the 29% held by Apple.

On a flagship level, which is a fairer match for Apple since it doesn’t offer lower performance devices, market shares between Samsung Galaxy S7/Galaxy S7 edge versus Apple iPhone 6s/6s Plus are 16% and 14.6%, respectively. What’s interesting is that Samsung prevails in a market where Apple was traditionally always ahead.

Another point of the research shows that Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6s owners are usually “faithful” to the brand, since only 5% of Galaxy S7/Galaxy S7 edge owners were using iPhone devices in the past. Respectively, only 14% of iPhone owners were previously using Samsung devices. Additionally, the 88% of iPhone owners and the 86% of Samsung owners say that they will not change their current company during their next purchases.

In the same survey, Kantar Worldpanel reported that even though Apple and Samsung dominate the US and UK markets, the situation is quite different in other major markets. Of course, Kantar focuses its interest on the Chinese market.

In there, although two years ago Samsung was the dominant company in the smartphone market with a share that reached 34%, the situation changed dramatically when young Chinese manufacturers surfaced. Now the Korean company has only 9% of the Chinese market. On the other hand, Xiaomi used to be the leading company, while now in the first place is Huawei. Moreover, Apple’s rise is significant too.

This situation, the mass entry of notable manufacturers in the global market, is the key factor that Kantar considers that has already spelled the end of the intense competition between Apple and Samsung. In the research firm’s report, it is estimated that Huawei will surpass the two companies by 2021. A key point in the Huawei’s expansion is its aggressive entry into the US and India markets.

Kantar Worldpanel concludes its report by noting that Apple and Samsung “have less to worry about from each other going forward—and much more to worry about from other competitors, and the changing landscape. In that landscape, what remains to be seen is how sales in those developing markets in Latin and South America and India buffet the standing of the big three brands.”

All in all, the report doesn't seem to have any unexpected conclusions. It is true indeed that, if Apple and Samsung want to become the leaders in the smartphone market, they'll have to see a bigger picture of the situation.