Realme fastest growing smartphone brand in 2020 with 65% rise in shipments

South Korean major Samsung shipped 255.7 million units and captured 19% share to retain the top spot in the global smartphone market in 2020. However, its share was down 14% (year-on-year), a new report said on Thursday. realme became the fastest growing brand for the year, growing 65% (YoY) in shipment volume. 

Samsung shipped 62.5 million units in the festive quarter (October-December period). The Galaxy A series, a mid-to-low-end product lineup, continued to perform well.

The global smartphone market declined 1% (YoY) in Q4 2020. However, the market rose 8% (QoQ) in Q4 2020, recovering from the global impact of COVID-19, according to latest research from Counterpoint's Market Monitor service.

"It is interesting to note that the market also made a distinct migration from feature phones to smartphones as the devices became a medium for education, work and entertainment. A strong 5G push by the industry through reduced device prices and operator tariffs further boosted the market's recovery process," said Research Analyst Aman Chaudhary.

For Q4, Apple captured the top spot in the global smartphone market and for the full year 2020, it was second with 15% market share. 

"The pent-up demand for a new 5G iPhone, strong carrier promotions, especially in the US, and the iPhone 11's longevity are some of the reasons for this growth," the report mentioned.

Despite the sanctions and severe component shortages after the escalated US trade ban, Huawei managed to achieve the third spot, thanks to its strong performance in China.

Xiaomi's global smartphone shipments grew 31% (YoY) to reach 43 million units in Q4 2020. 

OPPO achieved 9% market share (34 million units) in Q4 2020. 

"OPPO's strong performance was driven by its aggressive strategies to expand its presence in the overseas markets, particularly in Europe and the Middle East and Africa (MEA)," Chaudhary said. 

Google performance improved over the quarter driven by the Pixel 4A and Pixel 5. 

It offered attractive discounts on its new range of 5G devices in the US which emerged as a strong alternative to other mid-range Android devices, the report said.