Counterpoint: iPhone Leads Premium Smartphones to Highest Rate Yet

24 MARCH 2022 - Premium smartphones grew at their highest level ever, last year, and Apple sold most of them. That’s according to the latest numbers from Counterpoint Research. The firm counts “premium smartphones” as those with a wholesale average selling price of over $400. According to a Counterpoint press release on Wednesday, sales of such phones grew 24% in 2021 versus 2020, reaching their highest level so far. By the firm’s reckoning, phones over $400 accounted for 27% of all smartphones sold worldwide in 2021. As for Apple’s place in that, the release says:

…Apple continued to lead the market, reaching the 60% sales share mark for the first time since 2017 driven by strong 5G upgrades for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series. The delayed launch of Apple devices in 2020 also pushed demand to 2021. 

According to Counterpoint’s count, no other phone maker is close to Apple in the premium space. Apple’s 60% share of the premium smartphone market is followed by Samsung in second with a much smaller 17% share. Every other smartphone maker is in single digits or smaller. 

In terms of connectivity, 5G has become the coin of the realm, though the firm says “4G continues to have share driven by the older iPhones – 11 and SE 2020 – and the Samsung S20 FE.” Of course, iPhone SE just went 5G as have more Samsung phone, so you can expect LTE offerings in the premium space to shrink in short order.