Samsung leads the smartphone market by volume in Q2 2018: Counterpoint

According to a new report by research firm Counterpoint, Samsung led the smartphone market by volume with a market share of 20 percent in Q2 2018 even though it registered an annual decline of 11 percent due to weak sales of its flagship Galaxy S9 series smartphones.

While Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi remained one of the fastest growing brands in Q2 2018, driven by record shipment in India with 112 percent annual growth.

Counterpoint said other Chinese brands like OPPO and Vivo were the fifth and sixth largest brands during the quarter, capturing 8 percent and 7 percent market share, respectively. OPPO recorded an annual decline of 3 percent while Vivo registered a growth of 1 percent.

During the quarter, OPPO and Vivo also expanded their presence in the premium segment by launching devices like the Find X and Nex. The aggressive expansion of these brands in markets outside mainland China will be the key to growth as the home market reaches saturation levels in 2018, the research firm pointed out.

Meanwhile report said that global smartphone shipments reached 363 million units in Q2 2018 with 1 percent annual decline due to a slow-down due to a slowdown in developed markets like China, US, and Western Europe, where replacement cycles are lengthening.

In fact another report by IDC also said Xiaomi maintained its leadership position with its highest ever shipments in a single quarter in 2Q18 and Samsung remained at the second position in the smartphone market with an impressive 21 percent Year-over-year (YoY) growth at the back of its newly launched "infinity" series model namely Galaxy J6.

The brand continues to see strong shipments of its successful low-end models - Galaxy J7 Nxt, Galaxy J2 (2017) and J2 (2018), thus driving overall volumes. Vivo reclaimed its 3rd position, as its shipments grew more than double from the previous quarter, registering a strong 18 percent year on year growth in 2018Q2.