European smartphone shipments fell 10% year on year in Q1 2022, coming in at 41.7 million units. Samsung kicked off 2022 in first place, with a 35% market share as supply started to recover for its low- and mid-range models. Apple came second, driven by strong iPhone 13 demand. Xiaomi took third place, thanks to its new Redmi Note 11 series, while realme and OPPO completed the top five, achieving 5% and 4% market shares.
“Most of the decline in Europe was due to Russia and Ukraine being hit hard. Shipments in the countries fell 31% and 51% respectively compared with Q1 2021,” said Canalys Research Analyst Runar Bjørhovde. “Shipments in the rest of Europe only declined 3.5% year on year, showing that demand remains intact. But the ongoing war has driven inflation to a record level and consumer confidence is falling. The real test for the smartphone market will come in the next two quarters, when the economic impact of the war truly starts to be felt.”
“Emerging vendors are accelerating despite the uncertainty,” said Canalys Research Analyst Ayush Shastry. “Supply limitations and varying demand from market to market have provided opportunities for new names to break in and take share. The focus of realme and vivo on indirect retail and ecommerce channels has borne fruit. As the industry faces many risks, on both the supply and demand sides, improving specific channel partnerships will be key for vendors in the upcoming quarters. Competition within the channel is high, and vendors have a unique opportunity to help differentiate their channel partners’ offerings and build stronger long-term relationships.”
