"Smartphone Market to Grow 6% This Year"…Samsung and Apple Face Off in Early-Year 'Mid-Range' Battle

Samsung 'Galaxy S21 FE' Unveiled at CES 2022
Apple 'iPhone SE3' Also Expected Early Year Release
Battle for Mid-Range Users Intensifies

Official marketing material presumed images of the 'Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE)' released by PhoneArena and others

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As the global smartphone market is expected to grow by 6% this year, global rivals Samsung Electronics and Apple are anticipated to engage in a fierce competition from the beginning of the year. The battle is between the cost-effective models, the 'Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE)' and the 'iPhone Special Edition (SE) 3.'

According to market research firm Strategy Analytics (SA) on the 3rd, global smartphone sales in 2022 are expected to increase by 6% compared to the same period last year. SA noted, "Upgrade demand from feature phones to smartphones will increase," adding, "Especially in emerging countries such as China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia, demand for premium 5G devices will rise."

Another market research firm, TrendForce, also projected that smartphone sales in 2022 will reach 1.39 billion units, up 3.8% from the previous year. Samsung Electronics, which holds the number one market share in smartphones, is expected to sell 276 million units this year, a 1.1% increase from last year. Apple is forecasted to sell 243 million units, up 5.4%, Xiaomi 220 million units, up 15.8%, Oppo 208 million units, up 2.5%, and Vivo 149 million units, up 6.4%.

In fact, new product launches are also awaited from January. Samsung plans to unveil the Galaxy S21 FE at 'CES 2022,' the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA, early this month. This is a budget-friendly model of the Galaxy S21. The Galaxy S22 series, which has been noted as a possible replacement for the Galaxy Note series, will also be launched soon.

Apple 'iPhone Special Edition (SE) 2' model

Apple's mid-range model, the iPhone Special Edition (SE) 3, is also expected to be released early this year. It is anticipated to be the most affordable Apple device supporting 5G communication. Global investment banks (IB) such as JP Morgan have expressed expectations that Apple will attract mid-range Android users with the new iPhone SE. GSM Arena also added a caveat, stating, "TrendForce's forecast for Apple's total smartphone sales assumes that Apple will launch the new iPhone SE model in the first quarter, equipped with a 4.7-inch display and the A15 Bionic chipset."

In addition, Chinese smartphone latecomers such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo are expected to continue their offensive. Huawei unveiled the foldable smartphone 'P50 Pocket' at its new product launch event last month and has started pre-orders. Oppo is also closely following Samsung by unveiling its foldable phone 'Find N.'

There is also speculation that Chinese companies will put more effort into expanding globally due to stagnation in the domestic smartphone market growth. GSM Arena noted, "As there are expectations that the Chinese market will not show significant growth in 2022, Chinese companies are likely to make efforts to expand their presence on the global stage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.