Fresh report form research firm Canalys has thrown up some really interesting numbers with regards to the US market. For one, over 70% of all smartphones shipped in the US during Q2-2020 were made in China. Apple and Samsung contributed the most to those shipments with 7 out of every 10 device sold belonging to either of those companies.
Another intriguing stat from Canalys’ quarterly report is one around Apple. The Cupertino giant apparantly shipped 15% more iPhone 11 models than last year’s best-seller, the iPhone XR. And add to that the ‘budget-friendly’ iPhone SE, and Apple has beaten its own shipment record for the US market this quarter. With the launch of the iPhone SE, Apple’s quarterly market share ballooned to 47%. Samsung matched 2019 shipment levels, but its fortunes reversed. It shipped 59% fewer Galaxy S20 5G series handsets than S10 series models in Q2 2019.
In terms of total shipments, Canalys estimates that Apple shipped close to 15 million iPhones in Q2 alone, a record for the company.
Smartphone sales in general though remained glum. Vendors shipped 31.9 million smartphones in the United States in Q2 2020, a 5% year-on-year decline, but an 11% quarter-on-quarter increase. Factory re-openings in China led to a sharp jump back to original levels though yearly growth is still quite behind. The average price of a smartphone in the US hit US$503, 10% lower than in Q2 2019.
Canalys Analyst Vincent Thielke said, “As the coronavirus pandemic forced consumers to stay at home, 5G adoption in the US failed to take off. Store closures and virus fears limited interaction with demonstration models, tight consumer budgets further constrained spending power, and with scarce 5G network coverage in American suburbia, consumers saw plenty of reasons to buy a 4G device instead.
A new trend caught up in the US, wherein lower end models around the $400 mark saw increased sales. The federally-subsidized Lifeline program provides discounted phones for low-income Americans. As millions find themselves out of work, distributors are increasing orders for ultra-low-end Android smartphones from lesser-known brands, such as Unimax and Wiko, for qualifying citizens.
