In the fourth quarter of 2020, Apple sold 80 million smartphones . This is the first time since 2016 that the Apple brand has overtaken its competitor and market leader, Samsung , in terms of the number of smartphones sold. The Gartner firm estimates that Apple has sold 80 million smartphones when Samsung has sold “only” 62.17 million.
Apple sold 80 million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2020
There is obviously an obvious reason for these numbers: Apple has bet on smartphones this year with its new line of iPhone 12 unveiled in September while Samsung did not present a flagship smartphone during this quarter. The proof in 2019, Apple had sold “only” 69.6 million iPhones during the fourth quarter of last year.
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A particular victory, it is all the same important to underline it. Apple is breaking sales records as the smartphone market experiences a general decline . In 2020, overall smartphone sales fell 12.5% . A less significant drop in the fourth quarter when the market was down only 5.4% compareIN THE SAME CATEGORY
d to last year.
A more moderate rate of decline due to sales of 5G smartphones , according to Anshul Gupta of the firm Gartner. For its part, Samsung is sticking its tongue out … The Korean giant has seen an overall decline in smartphone sales throughout 2020 of 14.6% . This does not prevent the company from remaining the one that sells the most smartphones in the world in the year 2020.
The top 6 evolves
Over the years, Samsung has faced increasingly fierce competition. There is obviously Apple, but also new arrivals like Xiaomi, OPPO or Vivo. These last three smartphone manufacturers all experienced good growth during 2020, despite the difficult context. Xiaomi saw its smartphone sales increase by 15.7% . Huawei is obviously no longer in the race (with a drop of 24.1%) because of the sanctions imposed by the former US administration , under the leadership of Donald Trump. The Chinese giant suffered the biggest decline in the smartphone market in 2020 .
Apple and Samsung competitors and partners
Apple is officially preparing to launch its highly anticipated 10 smartphone after the overwhelming disappointment of the eighth installment. But while we imagine a competitive war between the two American and Korean giants, it seems obvious to observers that Samsung is a privileged partner of the American firm …
Why Apple depends on Samsung today when the first smartphone goes to the American giant? How can the Korean make a lot of money from the sales of his bite-apple opponent’s next smartphone?
Apple and Samsung partners – $ 14 billion for Samsung when iPhone X releases
Iphone X – $ 80 to $ 110 for Samsung for every iPhone X sold
A nice commission for Samsung with each sale of the new iPhone X
Or $ 80 to $ 110 earned with each sale of the new iPhone X depending on the version (with an estimate of 130,000,000 models sold before summer 2019)! Note that the advertised selling price is around 1000 dollars (United States) and 1100 dollars (Europe). Although the relationship between Apple and Samsung has been very strained since the arrival in 2007 of the first iPhone (the iPhone X celebrates the 10th anniversary of the smartphone) commercially, it seems reliable that they seal strategic partnerships .
For Samsung, the release of the smartphone X will generate $ 4 billion in revenue higher than the sales of the Galaxy S8 and Plus according to a study by Counterpoint Technology Market Research published in the Wall Street Journal. If the secret of the Cupertino company is well kept on the iPhone, Samsung garners a third of the manufacturing cost based on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. It should be noted that the margin of the S8 is greater compared to the profit of subcontracting, 202 dollars against 110 dollars, but Samsung knows that the iPhone X will sell more on the market than its counterpart the Galaxy S8: 130,000,000 for the X, 50,000,000 for the S8.
For Apple and its CEO Tim Cook, resorting to its Korean rival and partner (its CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon) is therefore part of a policy of cost reduction with the best competitiveness integrated into its industrial system. The attempt to go through other sources of supply was unsuccessful.
Apple and Samsung partners – Samsung’s premium components
The presentation of the iPhone X was an opportunity for many observers to confirm that several of the components did not come from the parent company. One of the components that Apple outsources to Samsung is memory. So if the selling price of the iPhone X increases, this is due to the inflation of this major component (NAND flash with 64 GB memory as standard).
Apple and Samsung partners – A strategic component patented by Samsung: the OLED screen
However, the most strategic component with advanced technology mastered exclusively by Samsung is the OLED screen (patented by Samsung)! Other elements such as the battery and capacitors of the iPhone X are entrusted to the Korean giant.
Samsung and Apple, 2 undisputed commercial rivals of the smartphone and tablet worlds, must nevertheless join forces. If the Cupertino giant has the trump card of design, innovation and reputation, for its part the Korean firm is advantaged with its mastery of top quality components. Namely that Samsung holds a 25% share in the smartphone market, the latter should significantly increase its turnover by supplying Apple and why not dethrone it in the near future?
Apple and Samsung, which will soon unveil new smartphones, are still looking for the magic formula to maintain their dominance against Chinese competition, against a backdrop of a slowing market.
The stakes are high for Apple, which wants to preserve its image as a chief innovator. But the American group has struggled in recent years to present revolutionary new features for the iPhone, the first copy of which dates back to June 2007 and which has sold more than 1.2 billion copies.
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The firm at the apple should present its eighth iPhone in September. As usual, the characteristics of the new device, as well as its date of marketing, are the subject of a multitude of rumors in the specialized press, which also suggests that this new avatar could cost at least 1,000 dollars (850 euros). .
When it comes to high-end in the smartphone industry, two brands instantly spring to the mind of any enthusiast or observer of the industry: Samsung and Apple . The two firms are very clearly in direct competition with each other, since they are opposed on a lot of major characteristics in the decision of a consumer to turn to a particular brand. If we are looking for a high-end Android, we will look to Samsung. On the other hand, if you prefer the iPhone operating system, then you will prefer Apple.. In terms of price, the two offer something similar for their flagships, each of the brands also moving more and more into the compact / mid-range (the iPhone 12 Mini or SE for Apple, the Samsung Galaxy A or the S10e for Samsung). To be very clear, direct competition between the two firms has been implicit for a long time, but it was cordial . Until the announcement of the iPhone 12 .
When it comes to high-end in the smartphone industry, two brands instantly spring to the mind of any enthusiast or observer of the industry: Samsung and Apple . The two firms are very clearly in direct competition with each other, since they are opposed on a lot of major characteristics in the decision of a consumer to turn to a particular brand. If we are looking for a high-end Android, we will look to Samsung. On the other hand, if you prefer the iPhone operating system, then you will prefer Apple.. In terms of price, the two offer something similar for their flagships, each of the brands also moving more and more into the compact / mid-range (the iPhone 12 Mini or SE for Apple, the Samsung Galaxy A or the S10e for Samsung). To be very clear, direct competition between the two firms has been implicit for a long time, but it was cordial . Until the announcement of the iPhone 12 .
