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OnePlus stopped chasing enthusiasts, and it seems to be paying off
- Apple was reportedly number one in the US in Q4 2021, with Samsung a distant second.
- Motorola occupied third place, while Alcatel and OnePlus rounded out the top five.
- OnePlus achieved over 520% yearly growth in the region.
Apple and Samsung are the perennial top performers in the US smartphone market, and a Q4 2021 report has reaffirmed this while also showing that other players have made major strides.
Counterpoint Research posted its Q4 2021 US report today, finding that Apple accounted for 57% of the market while Samsung’s market share in the quarter topped out at 24%. The tracking firm noted that Apple saw quarterly growth of 17% (we’ve asked about yearly growth as well), while Samsung achieved 11% year-on-year growth.
The company noted that demand for the iPhones outstripped supply, adding that Samsung faced shortages as well (particularly when it came to the Galaxy S21 series). Counterpoint said that the Galaxy A12 was the best-selling Android phone of 2021 — it didn’t clarify whether this was in the US only or globally although we’re guessing it’s the former.
The rest of the US market
There’s also good news for Motorola, coming in third place with 9% market share. Counterpoint said the brand sold the most phones in the US in its history (beating its previous high in Q4 2019). It’s believed that LG’s exit and a strong portfolio of affordable phones contributed to Motorola’s success. The tracking firm also said the Moto G Pure (its first MediaTek phone in the country) was in the top three for sales in the quarter.
Alcatel (2%) and OnePlus (2%) achieved fourth and fifth places respectively. In fact, Counterpoint said OnePlus achieved 524% yearly growth in the quarter, pointing to the Nord line’s success at T-Mobile and T-Mobile’s partnership with Walmart.
We’ve noted before that many new brands in a market often see exponential growth as they’re starting from a low base (e.g. Xiaomi after its first couple of years in Europe). But it’s nevertheless still good news for OnePlus, especially as the brand debuted in the US back in 2018. This growth also comes after the firm changed tack and focused on mid-range and budget phones, suggesting that the new strategy is working in the region.
Google was the final named brand on the list, coming in sixth place and accounting for 1% of the US market in the quarter. The tracking firm said Google actually achieved 56% YoY growth owing to the Pixel 6 series. It must be said that Google saw Pixel 6 series shortages shortly after launch too, suggesting that it could’ve perhaps performed even better.