Samsung Gains Record Market Share in South Korea

Despite the disruption from Covid-19, Samsung’s smartphone has maintained decent growth. Its quarterly revenue increased, while its performance in the United States also improved. Now, its market share in its home market has reached an all-time high, reports Strategy Analytics (via Sammobile).

According to the research firm, Samsung’s market share in South Korea reached 72.3%, up from 67.9% last year, in the third quarter of this year. With 3.4 million units shipped, Samsung is well ahead of number two and number three – Apple (8.9%) and LG (9.6%). While Samsung’s share has skyrocketed, Apple and LG have seen a decline. It is also the first time that Samsung has held more than 70% of the market share in Korea.

The research firm notes that Samsung’s growth has been driven by high-end devices such as the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, and Galaxy Fold 2. All three devices launched in the third quarter. The market share is likely to take a hit as Apple also introduced new smartphones, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. LG has also released a slew of new devices.

Sammobile reports that Samsung is looking to tackle Apple’s new devices with an early launch of its next flagship series of smartphones. According to the report, Samsung could introduce the Galaxy S21 series in January instead of the traditional February launch cycle. Already, details of Samsung’s new flagship series of smartphones have been leaked online. Just like the previous one, Samsung is expected to present the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra.

That said, it would be interesting to see how Samsung fares in other key markets such as India. Here, Samsung has also picked up a good momentum as it has captured its highest market in India since 2018, a Counterpoint Research report said last month. The research firm noted that Samsung had benefited from an aggressive online channel strategy amid growing anti-Chinese sentiments in the country.

Geopolitical policies and political affairs between nations affect the smartphone market in several ways. There will be increased marketing activity to seize opportunities in these regions and segments. As a result, the concentration of major players in the smartphone market will be much higher. We’re seeing players like Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi and OPPO benefit the most, research analyst Minsoo Kang said in a post.