The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the global smartphone market to decline below 300 million in Q1 2020. As a result, we have also lowered our overall smartphone shipment estimates for the year 2020. The global market for refurbished smartphones also saw a 1% decline in 2019. Given the current economic conditions and global downturn, the user buying pattern is expected to change. But it does bring new opportunities for the refurbished smartphone market.
Despite a decline, Apple and Samsung continued to dominate the secondary market in 2019. But how does the refurb ecosystem work? Which are the key refurb smartphone markets? Once the smartphone enters the refurb ecosystem, a fair amount of work goes into making it sellable. So, what are the typical repairs that are carried out?
Host Peter Richardson and research analyst Varun Mishra discuss the key trends and opportunities in the global refurbished smartphone market in the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast.” The discussion also touches upon the replacement cycles and the refurb market in India.
A year ago, Huawei was put on the US Entity List, which cut off the Chinese smartphone giant and telecom equipment maker from doing businesses with most businesses in the US. The resulted of this was losing access to Google Mobile Services (GMS), including the Play Store. Now, on May 15, the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released new orders, specifically targeting Huawei, making it harder to acquire semiconductors that are created using certain U.S. software and technology. As a result, TSMC has stopped taking chipset orders from the Chinese smartphone maker. For more insights you can read this.
Though TSMC needs to follow the new US BIS restrictions, it has 120 days to clear the WIP (wafer in process). Huawei heavily relies on TSMC for chipsets to use in its range of smartphones, including the ones from sub-brand Honor. Losing access to TSMC chips is a bigger deal than losing access to GMS. At the same time, TSMC is also at a loss, as around 10-15% of its business comes from Huawei.
TSMC sure has been caught in the crossfire between the US and Huawei. But what options does Huawei have? Will it hamper the company’s upcoming product launches? Can China retaliate? We have covered all these questions and concerns in our podcast. In the latest episode, “The Counterpoint Podcast” host Peter Richardson and associate director Brady Wang discuss the implications of the new rules announced by the US.
The mapping services have always played a crucial role in delivering area wise geographic information. Over the past two decades, we’ve moved from physical paper maps to digital maps. They are easily accessible at our fingertips. And as we go through this digital transformation, location data is important as a capability that enables different vertical applications. There are several location platforms service providers that offer advanced tools such as offline maps coverage, real-time traffic data, in-app travel planning, POIs, and more.
Counterpoint Research recently completed the latest in-depth analysis using its proprietary CORE (COmpetitive Rankings & Evaluation) framework to evaluate the leading 25 maps and location platform players with over 60 capabilities and ecosystem success parameters. The analysis reveals Here as the top global location platform player followed by Google and TomTom.
In the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast”, host Peter Richardson and VP of Research Neil Shah discuss how location platform players are helping shape the digital transformation. The discussion covers how the companies are moving from being a mapping solution provider to a location intelligence platform provider. We have also touched upon how location intelligence can be helpful in contact tracing in our current battle against COVID-19.
The demand for online music streaming services has grown rapidly with data becoming faster and affordable. The services can be accessed from multiple platforms such as smartphones, PCs, and even smart speakers. But what is interesting is that the number of paid subscriptions is also growing. According to the latest findings from Counterpoint Research, global online music streaming grew 32% YoY, with paid subscriptions crossing 350 million in 2019.
Spotify leads the paid subscription market with a share of 35%, followed by Apple Music with a share of 19%. Amazon Music takes the third spot with a market share of 15%, followed by Tencent Music, YouTube Music, and others. Some factors driving global online music streaming services include exclusive content like originals and podcasts.
In the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast” host Maurice Klaehne and research analyst, Abhilash Kumar discuss the factors that are driving the growth of music streaming services. The discussion also covers strategies that are helping music streaming providers gain more subscribers in the emerging markets. We have also touched upon topics like COVID-19 and how it is impacting the music streaming platforms. Lastly, Abhilash also shares his thoughts on Apple Music expansion in 52 new countries, and our growth expectations in 2020.
The smart home market has been steadily growing, with security cameras, smart speakers, and smart TVs currently dominating the market. According to Counterpoint’s latest research, growth at a CAGR of 21% is projected from 2019-2025. We are expecting six billion Wi-Fi capable smart home devices will be shipped globally between 2020-2025.
Smart speakers have been the fastest-growing smart home devices due to the low entry barrier. They offer access to voice assistants and let you control other smart home devices. Security cameras offer additional layers of security and peace of mind, whereas connected TVs challenge conventional cable viewing by helping people ‘cut the cord’. In the next five years, other segments such as dishwashers, refrigerators, and laundry machines with smart home capabilities are likely to get more mainstream.
In the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast” host Ritesh Bendre and Counterpoint Research analyst Maurice Klaehne discuss the current state of the smart home market. Maurice sheds light on why we believe Wi-Fi 6 will drive the smart home connectivity by 2025. The discussion also touches up the strongest growth areas in the segment as more household items become connected. These include white goods, smart lighting, and home automation segments.
A lot has changed over the past couple of months ever since the COVID-19 outbreak has been declared as “pandemic” by the WHO. To control the coronavirus outbreak, countries from across the globe have got into lockdown mode. This has completely transformed the way we have been used to working. While several industries and business sectors are feeling the heat, the India smartphone manufacturing sector seems to be heavily impacted.
Due to the lockdown, both online and offline smartphone sales have completely stopped. With workers locked down in their homes, the production has also come to a standstill. As of now, the state governments have extended the lockdown till May 3, but there is no clarity on whether or not it will be extended further. But exactly how much of an impact are we talking about here? Samsung has the biggest manufacturing plant in Noida, where it manufactures devices for India as well as for exporting globally. Companies like Oppo manufactures smartphones in India, Xiaomi makes smartphones, smart TVs and accessories like power banks in India. They are all severely affected with this lockdown.
In the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast” host Ritesh Bendre and Counterpoint Research associate director Tarun Pathak discuss the impact of COVID-19 on India smartphone manufacturing. We also talk about smartphone segments that will likely be affected due to the coronavirus. The topic also covers supply and demand, and our revised outlook for 2020.
Four years after launching the compact and powerful iPhone SE, Apple has finally launched its successor. The new and refreshed 2020 model is also called the iPhone SE. A lot has changed in the past four years where modern smartphones now come with an edge-to-edge screen, multiple cameras among others. Yet, Apple has gone with the old design featuring thick bezels, a physical home button and more. So, why exactly did Apple launch the iPhone SE in 2020?
At $399, the smartphone brings the latest and fastest A13 Bionic chipset, water and dust resistance, and wireless charging. But is there an audience for this new iPhone? Is this the right time for Apple to launch a 4G smartphone on the cusp of the 5G era? We have already discussed these in our blog. And, in the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast” our host and research director Jeff Fieldhack, and research analyst Hanish Bhatia deep dives into Apple’s strategy behind reviving the ‘SE’ brand and the outlook for the same in these testing times.
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OnePlus has launched its latest flagship smartphones in the US, UK, China and Indian markets. There are two devices – the premium OnePlus 8 Pro and a compact and affordable OnePlus 8. Both smartphones draw their power from a 7nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, and feature 5G connectivity. But what OnePlus has managed to do in the display, battery and charging department is impressive.
The new smartphones now come with a better display in collaboration with Pixelworks. The company has also added 30W fast wireless charging on the “Pro” model, which isn’t available on competitor flagship smartphones. There is also IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. The new and improved features on the “Pro” make for a good upgrade, from a “flagship killer to a killer flagship.”
In the latest podcast, “The Counterpoint Podcast” host Ritesh Bendre, research analysts Karn Chauhan and Maurice Klaehne share their thoughts and insights on the OnePlus 8 Series potential and outlook.
Smartwatches are gaining popularity worldwide, especially given the fact that they double as fitness trackers. But they are not just for adults. There is a market for kids’ smartwatch too. These smartwatches aren’t just fancy toys for tech kids, but they are functional too – having features like 4G connectivity, GPS and geo-fencing to name a few.
Exhibit: Global Kids Smartwatch Shipment by Brand Market Share in 2018 vs 2019
Chinese brands have been quick to realize the demand and capitalize on the same. In fact, China dominates the kid’s smartwatch market globally with 62% market share. In the latest episode of “The Counterpoint Podcast” host Ritesh Bendre and Research Analyst Satyajit Sinha discuss about the fast-growing kids’ smartwatch that is shaping up. The podcast covers topics like top players and their market share, privacy and security related to these smartwatches and more.
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