Overview:

• Demand and supply both improves in December
  • The Global smartphone supply and demand both improved in December. Overall, Shipments increased in December, as supply improved, and OEMs built inventory for the year-end sales.
  • Sales also grew across USA, LATAM, Europe, MEA and SEA driven by the strong holiday season. US grew the most driven by strong demand and improved supply of Apple. India remained flat MoM but grew YoY driven by year-end sales.
  • China was the only key market to register MoM decline, as sales normalized following the singles day in November. The slow demand in China has led to some inventory build-up in in the market.
• Apple becomes #1 OEM for Q4 2021; Motorola and realme reach record sales in December
  • Apple continued to be the #1 OEM in December for the third consecutive month and became the #1 OEM for Q4 2021. Apple’s sales grew across all regions driven by holiday season demand and improved supply. Apple also sold the highest number of iPhones globally in a single year since its inception.
  • Motorola's sales grew 15% MoM and 50% YoY to cross 5 million units of monthly sales for the first time ever. Motorola has been gaining through 2021, benefiting from LG’s decline in the US, continued solid performance in LATAM and expansion in other markets.
  • Realme sales grew 14% MoM, reaching its highest ever sales in December. It became the #3 OEM in India in Q4 2021 for the first time. Within Europe as well, the affordable 5G strategy has started to pay off as it became the 5th largest smartphone brand in the region in Q4 2021.
• Premium segment captures over one-fourth of Global Smartphone Sales
  • The premium segment share increased in December, with >US$600 price-bands capturing over one fourth of the global smartphone sales. This was driven by Apple, which captured over 80% of the price segment. The iPhone 13 series has been the best-selling model family globally in every month since its September launch.
  • Samsung also held share in the segment as sales for S21 and Z series increased driven by the promotion season. However, the growth was held back because of shortages. The Galaxy S21 series will ramp down leading up to the launch of the Galaxy S21 FE in mid-January and the upcoming launch of the Galaxy S22 series.

Key Takeaways: