Apple remained right behind Huawei until the Chinese tech giant was axed down by the US government bringing Apple one step closer to the top spot right behind Samsung.
It however lost this space when Xiaomi took over the second position recently but Apple’s Q3 sales have helped the company take its 2nd slot back from Xiaomi.
The global smartphone market has declined by 6% in the third quarter of the year 2021 when compared to this same period in 2020 but that can be attributed to the adverse effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
In fact, the report has it that the demand for smartphones may have finally slowed down despite the rise in the demand for PCs.
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One of the biggest issues smartphone makers also face is the supply of smartphone chipsets which has led to the delay of several smartphones or an outright cancellation as seen with the Galaxy Note 21 series (assuming that’s what it would’ve been called).
According to Canalys, the “chipset famine” has arrived, forcing both semiconductor manufacturers and phone makers to scramble to minimize losses and increased costs.
Meanwhile, smartphone vendors are also making last-minute adjustments to their order quantities and even their device specs, adding to the chaos.
Even though the economic turmoil caused by COVID-19 on the global supply chain, Apple still managed to oust Xiaomi within the last three months which ended in September 2021.
The company has been able to grow from 12% to 15% which was enough to push Xiaomi back to third place as it sees no growth for its 14% share of the market piece.
Samsung however remained at the top with a 23% year-on-year growth while other big Chinese brands like Vivo and OPPO added 1% to their numbers.
Smartphone market analyst Canalys believes the shortage in the supply and demand of smartphones could last into the year 2022.
The uncertainty in supply and demand is even causing manufacturers, vendors, and retail channels to look toward the upcoming sales holidays with nervousness rather than the excited anticipation they usually have each year.
