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iPhone 15 Pro Max Best-selling Smartphone in Q1 2024

Apple and Samsung dominated the list of top 10 best-selling smartphones in Q1 2024, a period which grew 6% YoY and one in which Samsung dethroned Apple to become the best selling smartphone OEM worldwide.
This was the first quarter in which the top 10 smartphones were all 5G capable.
This was also Apple’s first non-seasonal quarter when the iPhone Pro Max took the top spot.
The Pro line-up captured half of Apple’s total sales in Q1 2024, a significant increase from 24% in Q1 2020.

Seoul, Beijing, Boston, Buenos Aires, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi – May 6, 2024

Apple and Samsung dominated the top-10 best-selling smartphones list for Q1 2024, each capturing five positions and leaving no spot for other brands, according to Counterpoint Research’s Global Monthly Handset Model Sales Tracker. This was the first quarter in which the top 10 smartphones were all 5G capable. Besides, the trend towards premiumization was evident, with 7 of the top 10 smartphones being premium (wholesale price at $600 and above).

Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max was the best-selling smartphone of Q1 2024. Notably, the Pro Max variant achieved the top position for the first time in Apple’s non-seasonal quarter, reflecting an increasing trend of consumer preference for high-end smartphones. All four iPhone 15 variants and the iPhone 14 were among the top 10 bestsellers. Further, the iPhone 15 line-up secured the top three spots.

The growing popularity of the Apple Pro line-up was evident, as it captured half of Apple’s total sales in Q1 2024, a significant increase from 24% in Q1 2020. The Pro iPhones have become the major revenue drivers for Apple, contributing over 60% of its sales value in Q1 2024. The Pro line-up offers substantial upgrades and significant enhancements over the base models. This strategic move has proven successful, as consumers are willing to pay for premium features. The Pro line-up’s features include an innovative dynamic island interface, more advanced chipsets, ultra-smooth displays, titanium chassis and a telephoto camera. The iPhone 15 Pro Max performed well despite its first price increase since the launch of the Pro series in 2019, indicating a strong consumer desire for the extra features the Pro line offers.

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series secured two spots in the top 10 for Q1 2024, with its Ultra variant ranking fifth and the base variant coming in ninth. The strong performance of the S24 series can be attributed to Samsung’s early refresh of the series, and its efforts in generative AI (GenAI) technology. The S24 series was the first to reach the market with GenAI features and capabilities, allowing users to create unique content and experience a new level of interaction with their smartphones.

Consumers are holding onto their smartphones for longer periods because upgrades are offering limited differentiation in features. This leads consumers to opt for high-end smartphones to ensure their devices remain technologically relevant for a longer duration. Going forward, we expect the top 10 best-selling smartphones to capture a larger share of total smartphone sales as OEMs are focusing on leaner portfolios with premium features, including GenAI.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

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Global Smartphone Market Grows 6% YoY in Q1 2024; Revenue Reaches Highest Level in a First Quarter

The global smartphone market grew 6% YoY to reach 296.9 million unit shipments in Q1 2024.
Samsung dethroned Apple to become the top smartphone player globally, accounting for 20% shipment share.
Apple’s shipments declined 13% YoY, however, the brand’s ASP grew to a record first quarter high driven by improved performance of the Pro models.
Among the top five OEMs, Xiaomi grew the fastest, registering 34% YoY shipment growth.
Global smartphone revenues also grew 7% YoY and reached highest-ever for a first quarter.

London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Seoul, Beijing, Denver, Buenos Aires – May 3, 2024

Global smartphone shipments increased 6% YoY in the first quarter of 2024, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service. The growth is mostly attributed to the strong performance in key regions such as Europe, Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Caribbean and Latin America (CALA).

Commenting on overall market dynamics, Senior Analyst Prachir Singh said, “Smartphone shipments grew during the first quarter as emerging markets continued their strong momentum, while Europe, especially Central and Eastern Europe, grew the most compared to a difficult Q1 2023. Consumer demand in these markets has been growing gradually and the inventory levels have improved. MEA was the fastest growing region due to the strong shipments of TECNO, Xiaomi and HONOR. China also grew YoY owing to strong Lunar New Year sales and Huawei’s comeback. The India market also saw growth thanks to exiting 2023 with healthy inventory levels. The mature markets of North America and Japan declined relative to the same period in 2023.”

Global smartphone revenues grew by 7% YoY in Q1 2024 and reached the highest-ever in a first calendar quarter. The >$800 price segment was the fastest growing, registering double-digit growth and accounting for 18% of smartphone shipments in Q1 2024, up by 2pp compared to Q1 2023. Apple led the smartphone market revenues with a 43% share, although its revenues declined by 11% YoY. Samsung’s revenues grew 2% YoY, propelled by its increasing ASP while shipments remained flat. Among the top five OEMs, Xiaomi’s revenue growth was the fastest due to strong performance in its key markets. Revenues for the market beyond the top five OEMs also grew significantly, driven by increasing revenues from Huawei, HONOR and Transsion brands.

Commenting on Apple’s performance, Research Director Jeff Fieldhack said, “Tough competition in China, record low upgrades in the US and a difficult compare from last year due to iPhone 14 Pro’s supply shifting to Q1 2023 all weighed on iPhone performance. However, there were upsides as well. An improved product mix with 15 Pro’s performing better than its predecessors, and an increasing footprint in emerging markets, helped Apple in arresting some of the declines. Emerging markets especially provide long term growth opportunities. We also expect the inclusion of GenAI later this year to contribute to iPhone upgrades.”

Samsung re-captured the top spot and led global smartphone shipments during the quarter, driven by the early refresh of the Galaxy-A-series and strong performance of the Galaxy S24 series. Samsung reached its highest-ever ASP during the quarter as well. Among the biggest smartphone brands from China, Xiaomi and vivo registered growth. While Xiaomi registered growth in almost all its key markets, vivo posted strong performance in emerging markets of Asia Pacific including India. Huawei, HONOR and Transsion were the other key brands that gained during the quarter. Huawei made huge gains in China and won share from the leading brands. HONOR gained in CALA and MEA, in addition to having a strong share in China. The Transsion brands, TECNO, itel and Infinix, performed strongly in APAC, Eastern Europe, India and the MEA. OPPO* experienced a shipment decline due to stiff competition in key markets like China. The brand also prioritized value over shipments, with a shift to pushing higher ASP devices in emerging markets.

Commenting on the near-term outlook, Research Director Tarun Pathak said, “Growth is expected to be slow but steady in the near term. However, revenues are expected to grow faster as the ongoing premiumization trend is likely to persist, especially with the rise of newer form factors and capabilities such as foldables and GenAI. More than 10 OEMs have launched over 30 GenAI-capable smartphones so far. We estimate that GenAI’s share of overall smartphone shipments will reach 11% by 2024.”

*OPPO includes OnePlus since Q3 2021

Note: Pricing analysis is based on wholesale prices; numbers here are preliminary and subject to change.

Feel free to reach us at press@counterpointresearch.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights.

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3 Out of 4 Laptop PCs Sold in 2027 will be AI Laptop PCs With Advanced GenAI Capability

AI PCs will revive the global laptop PC market’s replacement demand in the coming years.
We estimate that AI laptop PCs with the ability to run advanced GenAI applications will account for every three out of four laptop PCs sold in 2027.
Microsoft will play a pivotal role in driving the AI laptop PC ecosystem, while Apple will be a dark horse.
Intel and AMD will look to take the GenAI-capable compute mainstream next year to compete with more efficient Arm-based Qualcomm and Apple solutions in this AI race.

Seoul, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, San Diego, Taipei – April 30, 2024

Personal computers (PCs) have been used as the major productivity device for several decades. But now we are entering a new era of PCs based on artificial intelligence (AI), thanks to the boom witnessed in generative AI (GenAI). We believe the inventory correction and demand weakness in the global PC market have already normalized, with the impacts from COVID-19 largely being factored in. All this has created a comparatively healthy backdrop for reshaping the PC industry. Counterpoint estimates that almost half a billion AI laptop PCs will be sold during the 2023-2027 period, with AI PCs reviving the replacement demand.

Counterpoint separates GenAI laptop PCs into three categories – AI basic laptop, AI-advanced laptop and AI-capable laptop – based on different levels of computational performance, corresponding use cases and the efficiency of computational performance. We believe AI basic laptops, which are already in the market, can perform basic AI tasks but not completely GenAI tasks and, starting this year, will be supplanted by more AI-advanced and AI-capable models with enough TOPS (tera operations per second) powered by NPU (neural processing unit) or GPU (graphics processing unit) to perform the advanced GenAI tasks really well.

Commenting on the GenAI adoption in PCs, Senior Analyst William Li said, “Counterpoint forecasts that the penetration of AI-advanced laptops, which will form a majority of the AI laptop PC segment, will pick up in the next two years as chip vendors scale the GenAI capability to mainstream tiers. With the proliferation of GenAI use cases at the edge or in the cloud or in a hybrid way in the next few years, GenAI will become a de facto and must-have capability in the PC segment. Building the right kind of tools and ecosystem will be crucial for this adoption. Players such as Qualcomm have already accelerated with partners such as Microsoft, Hugging Face and a set of advanced AI Stack toolsets, developer evangelism.”

Source: Counterpoint Research – Generative AI Reshaping PC Market Navigating the Shift from Cloud to Localized Computing

Li added, “While the overall laptop PC market will register ~3% CAGR during 2023-2027, the AI laptop PC segment is bound to grow at 59% CAGR. The advanced semiconductor content from compute to memory will drive a positive ASP (average selling price) growth associated with newer GenAI capabilities, translating into more value for consumers than before. In addition, we estimate that AI laptop PCs with the ability to run advanced GenAI applications will account for every three out of four laptop PCs sold in 2027.”

The chip vendors are playing a major role in driving GenAI in PCs. Highlighting the trend, Associate Director Brady Wang said, “The first wave of AI PCs will gradually come up with three major CPU platforms – Intel Meteor Lake, AMD Hawk Point and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite series. These vendors are also preparing for next-generation solutions for AI laptop PCs rolling out later this year, which will accelerate the adoption of AI PCs at multiple price points. We believe Intel and AMD will also take GenAI-capable compute mainstream next year to compete with relatively efficient Arm-based Qualcomm and Apple solutions in this AI race.”

Wang added, “At the same time, we expect an upward trend in AI-capable laptops, which leverage high-level to premium-level GPUs to enable even higher-end GenAI applications. This will range from current large language models (LLMs) processed at the edge to advanced large models and even autonomous gaming graphics generating (AI Gfx) models. Players like NVIDIA will look to extend their capabilities and leadership in this segment.”

Generative AI supported by both Cloud and Edge

The adoption of GenAI in computing, which was initially solely dependent on the cloud, warrants higher computational capability and performance, from training the model to inferencing millions of potential requests per second. However, this is not feasible as well as viable from capacity, cost and energy perspectives. As a result, GenAI capability at the edge or in the PC becomes paramount.

Source: Counterpoint Research

Further, besides better work efficiency, data privacy and security are also important, which can be facilitated by GenAI applications at the edge. This also becomes pivotal to AI at the edge to preserve data sovereignty and environmental efficiency.

Commenting on GenAI use cases, Associate Director Mohit Agrawal said, “Initial GenAI adoption in the PC will be driven by Microsoft through its Copilot AI deeply integrated across Microsoft properties and further in upcoming Windows 12 along with app developers and partners such as OpenAI, Adobe and Hugging Face, which will catalyze the GenAI and overall AI experiences, initially around productivity and content creation in the PC. It remains to be seen how AI-powered Windows 12 charts upgrade path and AI capabilities for the existing installed base of devices which might not support necessary hardware capabilities to run GenAI applications natively.”

Agrawal added, “Apple could be the dark horse when it comes to adding GenAI capability in the Macs. The company can use its end-to-end vertical approach to leverage its self-designed Arm-based M series of advanced powerful processors, heavily optimized MacOS, newly designed LLM and powerful GenAI application ecosystem.”

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

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Wear OS, HarmonyOS to Register Strong Growth in Global Smartwatch Market in 2024

The global HLOS* (or advanced) smartwatch market is expected to see a healthy 15% annual growth in 2024.
While Apple WatchOS dominates, we are seeing growing adoption of HarmonyOS and Google Wear OS platforms this year.
In China, HarmonyOS smartwatches’ share is expected to reach 61% owing to the high adoption of Huawei 5G smartphones.
Major brands that will drive Wear OS volumes include Samsung, Google, OnePlus, OPPO and Xiaomi.

Seoul, Beijing, Boston, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, Taipei, Tokyo – April 29, 2024

The global smartwatch market has been growing rapidly for multiple years now driven by the explosion of basic smartwatches priced mostly under $100 and running proprietary or real-time operating system (RTOS)-type operating systems with basic functionality and applications. On the other hand, advanced smartwatches (those with High-Level Operating System or HLOS) have been growing steadily mostly driven by Apple and Samsung until now.

However, according to our latest global smartwatch tracker and forecast by region, brand and OS, the global HLOS smartwatch market is estimated to grow 15% annually in 2024 in terms of volume, after a flattish growth in 2023. The major part of this growth will come from non-Apple smartphone users adopting either a Google Wear OS-based smartwatch if outside China or a Huawei HarmonyOS-based smartwatch if in China.

For example, in the advanced smartwatch segment, we estimate the Google Wear OS share outside China will climb to 27% in 2024. The growth will be primarily driven by the availability of more advanced smartwatches powered by Wear OS, like the latest adoption by Google Pixel and OnePlus Watch 2, along with the refreshed Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series.

Commenting on the market performance, Senior Research Analyst Anshika Jain said, “Just as in the case of smartphones, where there is a shift toward premium devices in consumer buying patterns, we are witnessing that first-time smartwatch users or upgraders in the Android camp are now looking for a much better user experience and are willing to spend more when going for their next purchase. Due to this, we expect greater adoption of Google’s Android Wear (Wear OS) since these devices provide a robust third-party app experience, Google AI assistant, and precise health tracking, customization and battery optimization.”

Jain added, “Until now, most of the Wear OS adoption was driven by Samsung smartwatches, and there were limited mainstream options for Android smartphone users. However, starting this year, we are seeing Google and Qualcomm managing to attract their leading smartphone customers such as OnePlus, OPPO and Xiaomi to launch Wear OS-based smartwatches outside China at attractive high-tier price points. Further, Google’s own Pixel watches will also continue to contribute to the Wear OS adoption globally.

In addition to Wear OS, we are witnessing the growth of HarmonyOS powered by the increasing popularity of Huawei smartwatches in China. On this trend, Associate Director Ethan Qi said, “In 2023, the overall HarmonyOS shipments grew almost 2x, surpassing Apple’s WatchOS. HarmonyOS’ shipment share is further estimated to reach 61% in China in 2024, up from 48% in 2023. The launch of 5G smartphones by Huawei last year and the resulting growth have acted as a key catalyst in driving the attach rate for Huawei smartwatches and expanding China’s advanced smartwatch market.”

Source: Counterpoint Global Smartwatch Quarterly Model Tracker, Q1 2018-Q4 2023

In terms of smartwatch chipsets, Apple and Samsung currently hold two-thirds of the advanced smartwatch market. Hengxuan and Qualcomm are expected to witness double-digit growth in 2024. Qualcomm’s market will be driven by more launches on its W5+ Gen 1 and W5100 processors, while Hengxuan’s growth will be mainly driven by the adoption of Huawei and Xiaomi smartwatches in China.

In terms of new and future launches, we are seeing a new trend of having a dual-chipset and dual-OS strategy, which combines a high-end processor, like from Qualcomm, with a low-power co-processor and a hybrid version of Wear OS, allowing smooth integration and switching between RTOS and HLOS depending on the user application, to boost power and performance. Players such as Ambiq Micro, BES Tech and Goodix will benefit from this trend and expand their share in the advanced smartwatch market. Therefore, there are more collaboration opportunities available in the market for hardware players with software platforms like the Wear OS to expand the device’s capabilities. Companies such as MicroEJ will also play a key role in abstracting the dual-OS application complexities.

While there are emerging trends when it comes to OS and chipset strategies, we are also seeing smartwatch displays becoming a key component for differentiation. Counterpoint company DSCC’s Senior Director David Naranjo said, “According to our smartwatch display panel shipments tracker, the advanced smartwatch, which mostly sports cutting-edge OLED and MicroLED displays, is bound to see an increase in orders for suppliers in the 16%-18% range in 2024 due to strong momentum after the second half of 2023 and the blended OLED panel pricing declining by 3% in addition to larger display sizes.”

Types of smartwatches:

*Advanced or HLOS smartwatch: Electronic watch running a high-level OS, such as Watch OS (Apple) and Wear OS (Samsung), with the ability to install third-party apps.

Basic smartwatch: Electronic watch running a lighter version of an OS, with no ability to install third-party apps.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media, and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

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Survey: realme Ranks Among Top Smartphone Brands for Product Quality in Bangladesh

77% of respondents prioritize product quality when buying smartphones.
Samsung, realme and vivo are top-rated for smartphone product quality.
54% of respondents rated realme as the No. 1 brand for smartphone build quality.
realme is also the No. 1 smartphone brand in product quality in the sub-BDT 20,000 (around $180) price band among users in the 16-20 age group.

New Delhi, Beijing, Boston, Buenos Aires, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo – April 29, 2024

As many as 77% of smartphone consumers in Bangladesh consider product quality a very important parameter when purchasing smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research’s recent consumer survey in the country. The survey further reveals that Samsung, realme and vivo are the top brands in Bangladesh when it comes to smartphone product quality.

According to Counterpoint Research’s quarterly smartphone shipment tracker for Q1 2024, 80% of Bangladesh’s smartphone market belongs to the sub-BDT 20,000 (around $180) price band and has an average selling price (ASP) of BDT 20,700. In the sub-BDT 20,000 price band, the consumer survey reveals, realme is the No. 1 brand for product quality in the 16-20 age group. Further, realme tops the overall market in terms of build quality, a sub-parameter of product quality, with 54% of the survey respondents preferring the brand. When asked what brand would they recommend to others for product quality, 83% of the respondents expressed a strong inclination for realme.

Source: realme Bangladesh Smartphone Consumer Survey, 2024
Note: Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Commenting on realme’s positioning in Bangladesh’s smartphone market, Senior Analyst Arushi Chawla said, “As smartphones have become an integral part of daily life, their quality is increasingly gaining importance. Besides, product quality is also important for securing a favorable resale value. Factors like camera quality, battery life, processor, build quality and display are key considerations for smartphone buyers in Bangladesh when evaluating the product’s quality. Among various brands in Bangladesh, realme is particularly popular among young users in the affordable price range. This is because realme offers a well-designed and tailor-made portfolio for the Bangladeshi market. In addition, its innovative software and trusted build quality make it a top choice for smartphone buyers.”

Disclaimer

This survey, commissioned by realme Bangladesh, aimed to learn what people think about product quality when buying smartphones. Counterpoint Research conducted the survey in Bangladesh, reaching over 1,000 respondents with questions in Bengali and English. Both online and offline methods were used to gather insights from smartphone users aged 18 and above. We anticipate the results to be accurate within +/- 4%.

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Global Connected Car Sales to Exceed 500 Million in 2024-2030

About nine out of 10 connected cars sold in 2030 will have embedded 5G capability.
China is expected to lead the connected car sales market, followed by USA, India, Japan and Germany.
Electrification, autonomous and advanced infotainment capabilities are major drivers for growing connectivity in a car.

Seoul, Beijing, Boston, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, San Diego – April 26, 2024

The entire automotive industry is ripe for disruption with the marriage of various advanced capabilities from electric drive train and AI-driven autonomous driving to advanced HMI, real-time HD maps and infotainment systems. All of these capabilities require an active, stable, low latency and high-bandwidth cellular connectivity. This is where 5G steps in, adding another technology dimension to tie these capabilities together.

Over the last decade, 4G was the major cellular connectivity embedded in car via NAD modules focusing on telematics, safety and emergency call use-cases. However, the use-cases for the cars rolling out over the next decade will warrant 5G connectivity to satisfy the new advanced mobility use-cases. According to Counterpoint’s latest Smart Automotive research report on the Global Connected Car Forecast by Technology, Regions and Brands, two out of every three cars sold already feature embedded connectivity and this will grow to almost 100% connectivity by end of the decade. The cumulative sales of 5G embedded cars will account for almost half of the total connected cars sold between 2024 and 2030.

At present, Germany leads in terms of connectivity penetration, but China is expected to achieve 100% connectivity penetration by 2028. This development positions China to lead the global connected car sales market by 2030, with USA, India, Japan, and Germany following suit. These top five countries are projected to collectively account for over two-thirds of global connected car sales by 2030.

Source: Counterpoint Research Global Connected Car Forecast

Commenting on the regional dynamics, Senior Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “China is poised to dominate the connected car market, fueled by the rapid adoption of EVs, C-V2X and other connected infotainment features. Domestic EV manufacturers such as BYD, NIO, Xpeng and Li Auto are striving to differentiate their offerings from traditional players and expand into international markets.”

Mandal added, “In the US, the world’s second-largest connected car market, growth will be driven primarily by the adoption of advanced safety features such as Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication and Level 2+ autonomy. Telecom giants like AT&T are at the forefront of the connected car space, while competitors like Verizon and T-Mobile are striving to capitalize on revenue opportunities through features like predictive maintenance, service scheduling, remote diagnostics, live maps and content platforms.”

“India is set to experience the fastest growth in connected car sales between 2023 and 2030. Indian automakers are gradually catching up with their international counterparts and enhancing their digital offerings to improve the driving experience,” Mandal said.

Commenting on the connectivity trends, Senior Analyst Parv Sharma said, “Currently, more than 96% of connected cars are powered by 4G while 5G is still picking up. The higher price of 5G telematics devices, lack of 5G infrastructure and unavailability of killer use cases have been the major reasons for 5G’s slow growth earlier in the decade.”

“However, with increasing 5G coverage and the introduction of L3+ ADAS, 5G adoption in connected cars will be swift for the rest of the decade. The availability of 5G RedCap in 2026 will also find application in lower-tier cars, driving mass-market adoption sooner rather than later. We forecast that by 2030, almost 90% of cars sold will have 5G connectivity.”

* Sales here refer to wholesale figures, i.e. deliveries out of factories by respective brands, and take into consideration only passenger cars with embedded connectivity.

The comprehensive and in-depth ‘Global Connected Car Tracker, Q4 2023’ and ‘Global Connected Car Forecast, 2019-2030F’ are now available for purchase at report.counterpointresearch.com.

Feel free to reach us at press@counterpointresearch.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights.

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China’s 2024 ADAS Market Shifting Gears to Level 3

Level 3 passenger vehicles are likely to arrive in meaningful global numbers this year.
China will be the main driver with its Level 3 passenger vehicle installed base exceeding 1 million by 2026 and shipments reaching 10% share by 2028.
Mercedes is the first mover globally, but Chinese OEMs are approaching fast.
Government support, issuance of multiple Level 3 testing licenses and advances in Level 2 across several vendors highlight rapid progress being made in China.
Friendly domestic environment will facilitate Level 3 autonomous driving offerings from large and small brands alike.

Beijing, Buenos Aires, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, San Diego, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo – April 25, 2024

Sales of passenger vehicles (PVs) with Level 3 autonomy are expected to reach over 25,000 globally in 2024 with China, Europe and the US likely to see rollouts this year, according to Counterpoint Research’s latest Global Autonomous Passenger Vehicle Tracker and Forecast.

Source: Counterpoint Research Autonomous Vehicle Tracker and Forecast

China will be the main driver regionally considering the size and advanced state of its domestic PV market. Mercedes, being the first company to introduce Level 3 autonomy globally, is the first mover in this space, even as Chinese OEMs rapidly approach. “The government has always been a big supporter of autonomous driving technology, resulting in a mature and nuanced Level 2 ADAS environment,” said Research Analyst Shaochen Wang. “With the recent consolidation in regulation for higher-level autonomous driving, there have been multiple Level 3 testing licenses issued across the region, which is facilitating the healthy participation of a broad range of players both large and small – from solutions providers like Huawei to smaller EV brands like IM Motors.”

Source: Company Data

Chinese OEMs’ autonomous driving strategies remain consumer-centric in contrast to Tesla’s which is focused on enabling its Cyber Cab service with an in-house and consumer-owned fleet. “There is no right or wrong way as things are driven by culture,” observed Senior Analyst Ivan Lam. “US owners are likely to look at their cars more as a commodity, whereas in China, cars are still viewed very much as a luxury.”

Chinese OEMs are also parting ways in terms of technology, opting to adopt hybrid solutions which include Lidar and other sensor types. “Tesla has a big advantage in terms of mileage, but excluding Lidar sets the bar higher and increases risks significantly, regardless of how much training data there is,” said Research Analyst Mohit Sharma. “Having a more robust system will give Chinese OEMs an edge, at least in terms of hardware.”

As OEMs and solution providers continue to evolve hardware systems and expand training data, we expect China to reach an installed base of over 1 million Level 3 ADAS-enabled PVs on the road by 2026 and a shipment share of 10% by 2028.

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China Smartphone Sales Remain in Black on Huawei, HONOR, Xiaomi Outperformance

China’s smartphone sales grew 1.5% YoY and 4.6% QoQ in Q1 2024, marking the second consecutive quarter of positive YoY growth.
Huawei stood out as the best performer among all OEMs during the quarter, enjoying 69.7% YoY growth; HONOR also saw double-digit growth.
vivo took the top spot followed by HONOR and Apple.
Apple’s sales dropped 19.1% YoY in Q1 as Huawei’s comeback directly impacted the premium segment.
The market is expected to see low single-digit YoY growth in 2024.

Beijing, Boston, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, San Diego, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo – April 23, 2024

China’s smartphone sales grew 1.5% YoY in Q1 2024, marking the second consecutive quarter of positive YoY growth, according to Counterpoint’s Market Pulse Service. Huawei stood out as the best performer among all OEMs during Q1, growing 69.7% YoY. Huawei’s growth was largely attributed to the successful launch of the 5G-capable Mate 60 series as well as its enduring brand reputation, helping it to gain a massive share in the $600+ premium segment. Despite Huawei’s comeback, HONOR still managed to grow 11.5% YoY in Q1 driven by its popular models, such as the X50 and Play 40, and its expansion in offline channels.

Source: Counterpoint Market Pulse Service
Notes: OPPO includes OnePlus; Xiaomi includes Redmi; vivo includes iQOO; Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Associate Director Ethan Qi said, “Momentum seems to be building on a recovery as China’s smartphone sales continued their growth trajectory and grew 4.6% QoQ in Q1 2024. The sales promotions during the Chinese New Year festivities were the biggest growth driver. The average weekly sales during the four weeks leading up to the Chinese New Year saw a robust growth of 20% when compared to a normal week, according to Counterpoint’s China Smartphone Weekly Model Sales Tracker.”

Further commenting on the market dynamics, Senior Analyst Mengmeng Zhang said, “Q1 2024 was the most competitive quarter ever, with only 3% points separating the top six players in terms of market share. Smartphone OEMs compete fiercely during the festive period, finalizing various marketing and promotional strategies well in advance. In particular, Chinese OEMs, with their ample cost-effective offerings, capitalize on the surge in sales in the low-end segment as migrant workers purchase more affordable, budget smartphones when returning home for the holidays. This trend further narrowed the market share gap among major players.”

Commenting on OEM performance, Senior Research Analyst Ivan Lam said, “vivo gained the top spot this quarter with 17.4% share driven by strong sales of the Y35 Plus and Y36 models in the low-end segment and the S18 in the mid-end segment. HONOR ranked second with a 16.1% share, followed by Apple with a 15.7% share. Apple’s sales were subdued during the quarter as Huawei’s comeback has directly impacted Apple in the premium segment. Besides, the replacement demand for Apple has been slightly subdued compared to previous years.”

Looking forward, Lam saw the possibility of an iPhone recovery: “We are seeing slow but steady improvement from week to week, so momentum could be shifting. For the second quarter, the possibility of new color options combined with aggressive sales initiatives could bring the brand back into positive territory; and of course, we are waiting to see what its AI features will offer come WWDC in June. That has the potential to move the needle significantly longer term.”

Counterpoint Research estimates low single-digit YoY growth for China’s smartphone market in 2024. The advent of generative AI has already seen Chinese OEMs integrating such features into their flagship devices. We anticipate smartphone OEMs will continue to explore new AI applications, with these advancements further trickling down to the mid-end segment.

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TomTom Leads in Location Applications & Services Rankings

TomTom achieved the highest score in one of the most relevant sections for automakers.
HERE slipped to the second position with Google in third place.
TomTom led in Real-time Traffic, Navigation, Routing and Infotainment, while HERE led in Tracking and Positioning, and EV Services.

Seoul, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, San Diego, Taipei, Tokyo – April 22, 2024

Netherlands-based mapping company TomTom has topped the Location Applications and Services category of Counterpoint’s latest Location Platform Effectiveness Index. HERE slipped to the second position with Google in third place. The index analyses the capabilities and performance of over 25 of the world’s leading location and mapping players.

Counterpoint is publishing the analyses in sections. The first section covers the Location Applications and Services category, which accounts for 13 of the 80 key capabilities covered by the overall Location Platform Effectiveness Index.

Location-based services like navigation, traffic and infotainment play a crucial role in modern vehicles by enhancing the driving experience, improving safety and offering new conveniences.

In the latest analyses, TomTom scored the highest points in 4 out of the 13 sub-categories of the Location Applications and Services section. Vice President Peter Richardson said, “TomTom’s success is a combined effort of innovative thinking and pivoting strategically to open-source data and bringing a new wave of collaboration in map-making while challenging the industry status quo.”

Source: Counterpoint’s Location Platform Effectiveness Index, 2023

TomTom ranked first with a total score of 77.5 out of 100. The company led in four parameters – navigation, real-time traffic, routing and infotainment. TomTom also performed well on other parameters such as EV services and consumer apps.

HERE came second in the revised Location Applications and Services category, as new parameters like consumer apps, location-based services and payments were added in this edition. The company also scored the highest points in 4 out of 13 capabilities to reach a total score of 74.5 out of 100.

Google scored the maximum points on the consumer app parameter as Google Maps remained the undisputed leader for navigating from point A to point B, locating businesses or finding points of interest in a specific locality.

Navigation: TomTom scored the highest for navigation capability due to its hybrid navigation system solution that provides constant navigation via its unique approach of online and onboard navigation as compared to the cloud-only or traditional onboard navigation services in the market. Global automakers such as Stellantis and Volkswagen Group rely on TomTom for navigation software.

Real-time traffic: TomTom came out as the leader in real-time traffic services due to a rich collection of historical road and live traffic data available in 84 countries with over 600 million connected devices, compared to HERE’s coverage in over 70 countries with more than 180 million cars. TomTom Traffic is often the first choice for automakers like Ford and Volkswagen Group.

EV services: HERE scored the highest in EV services as the company added a new capability using machine learning (ML) models to predict the availability of charging points at the time of arrival of the EV, and a database of over 1.2 million charging connectors globally along with information on location and real-time availability. TomTom followed HERE with close to 1.2 million charging points mapped across 90 countries, out of which 800,000 provide real-time data.

Infotainment: TomTom leads in infotainment capabilities as the company offers Digital Cockpit, a dedicated open, flexible and modular infotainment software platform. This allows TomTom to offer the full IVI stack to automakers in one complete solution that powers navigation, voice assistant, location search and more. Google is the closest competitor that offers an entire IVI stack to carmakers, but the solution is not open or as flexible. HERE opted for a different strategic path and chose not to develop an infotainment platform.

The comprehensive and in-depth ‘Location Platform Effectiveness Index 2023 Part 1-Industry Overview and CORE Analysis’ is now available for purchase at report.counterpointresearch.com.

Feel free to reach us at press@counterpointresearch.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights.

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