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The iPhone 11 increased Apple's market share in all key markets

By Joshua Swingle

Updated: Jul 06, 2021, 3:56 AM

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iOS Apple

The iPhone 11 increased Apple's market share in all key markets

Apple just reported its best quarter ever off the back of strong iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods demand. Now, data published by Kantar shows the company managed to increase its smartphone market share in all key regions across the globe.

The iPhone 11 is twice as popular as the iPhone XR

The iPhone 11 has been the most popular iPhone every week since it launched in mid-September and, across Europe and the United States, it accounted for a combined “1 in 10 of all smartphones sold.”

Kantar deemed the phone’s success “phenomenal” and claims it equates to doubled the share achieved by the iPhone XR a year earlier. Moreover, when combined with the iPhone 11 Pro duo, Apple’s latest devices accounted for an impressive 50% of iPhone sales in Europe and the US.

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The iPhone XR and iPhone XS lineup, for reference, accounted for just 36% of purchases in these regions when it was released a year earlier. This demonstrates the popularity of Apple’s newest models.

Apple ended the fourth quarter of 2019 with an average market share of 24.3% across all five major European Markets (The UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain). A year earlier, iPhones accounted for just 22.7% of smartphone shipments in the region.

The Cupertino giant experienced even stronger growth in the United States, where its market shared jumped from 42.8% during the final quarter of 2018 to 47.2% one year later.

Apple also performed strongly in Japan, Australia, and China

Apple’s success in the regions mentioned above continued over in Japan and Australia, as today’s market data showed.

The iPhone’s market share in Australia rebounded to an impressive 43.7% after a rather large dip in 2018 that saw its share decrease down to 40.7%. In Japan, on the other hand, Apple became the undisputed market leader with an incredible market share of 52.5%, which is up from the 46.7% figure that it registered twelve months earlier.

Last but certainly not least is China. Apple has been having a tough time competing in the region since the iPhone XR and iPhone XS debuted in September 2018, but things finally seem to be improving for the Silicon Valley-based company.

Its iOS operating system was installed on an impressive 21.4% of all smartphones sold in the country between October and December. The figure is reportedly up from 19.6%, but is arguably up for debate.

Most other market analysts believe iPhones accounted for 10-12% of all smartphone sales which, while still decent, is a far cry from the 21.4% market share figure cited by Kantar today.

How did Samsung and Huawei perform?

Apple's main rival, Samsung, experienced flat growth in Europe throughout the final quarter with no major losses or gains in the regions. In the United States, it saw a small increase in market share and a dramatic shift in demand for models, which could negatively affect its financial results.

While the premium Galaxy Note 10 series performed well, sales of the Galaxy S10 lineup were down as consumers switched over to cheaper Galaxy A series models. The latter now accounts for more than one third of shipments in the market and should continue growing as Samsung introduces more models.

Huawei (and sub-brand Honor), on the other hand, continued to struggle in Europe as the US trade ban took effect. The company's market share dropped down to 16.4% from 20.8% a year earlier and is unlikely to improve anytime soon.

To make matters worse, the company is at risk of falling into fourth place behind Xiaomi, who's share skyrocketed from just 7% to an impressive 14.2%. Fortunately, Huawei had an extremely impressive quarter in China and continued to experience strong growth despite the shrinking market.