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Qualcomm is no longer the top Android chipmaker in the US (Updated)
- MediaTek has reportedly taken over from Qualcomm as the top Android chipmaker in US.
- The news comes after MediaTek took the number one crown globally in 2020.
- Qualcomm and MediaTek have since issued differing claims.
Update: March 15, 2022 (3 AM ET): Qualcomm has disputed IDC data showing that MediaTek was the number one Android chipmaker in the US. In an email to Android Authority, the Snapdragon chipmaker cited Counterpoint Research figures to claim that it actually had a 55% share of the Android market in the US during Q4 2021. It claimed that MediaTek only held 37% of the segment. Qualcomm also went so far as to say that the IDC has admitted that its original Q4 2021 data is incorrect.
We’ve asked the IDC for confirmation of this but the company hasn’t responded to us as of writing. However, MediaTek told Android Authority in an emailed response that the IDC’s correct figure for MediaTek for Q4 2021 was 48.1% (rather than 51%), adding that this still put the Taiwanese company ahead of Qualcomm in the US.
Original article: March 1, 2022 (3:52 PM ET): Qualcomm lost its Android chipmaker crown to MediaTek in global markets back in 2020, but it still held on to its number one spot in the US for several quarters thereafter. Now, it looks like there’s a new number one chipmaker for Android devices in the US.
MediaTek reported during its Dimensity 8000 series briefing that it was the number one chipmaker for Android devices in the US, citing IDC statistics for Q4 2021. More specifically, the Taiwanese chip designer said its chips accounted for 51% of the market compared to Qualcomm’s 47%. Check out the relevant slide from the briefing below.
MediaTek pointed to phones like the Samsung Galaxy A12 4G, Galaxy A32, Moto G Pure, T-Mobile Revvl V Plus, and Boost Celero as being its top “high volume” models that helped it reach this goal.
The achievement isn’t a complete surprise, as the chipmaker has focused on the volume-shifting budget and mid-range segment for years now. However, the achievement is still pretty notable due to the fact that MediaTek processors don’t actually have mmWave 5G connectivity just yet, with major network players like Verizon firmly embracing the tech.
Nevertheless, MediaTek says its first mid-range mmWave phone will hit the US in the second half of 2022. So there’s scope for MediaTek to experience even more growth in the future.