Looking at the very high end (US$600+ wholesale price) of the smartphone market globally, Apple had 7 out of the top-10 best-selling models in terms of shipments as well as revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to recent research from Strategy Analytics’ Smartphone Model Tracker (SMT) service, thanks to a record quarter for the vendor. Samsung’s Z Flip 3 5G and Z Fold 3 5G were strong revenue generators in the ultra high-end, too, but what about lesser price tiers and the mid-range?

 

In the exhibit shown above, we see that models in the US$100-190 price tier, such as Samsung Galaxy A12 and A51 (4G) as well as Oppo A16 were among the top-10 “non-high-end” smartphone models globally in terms of market share. Furthermore, models in the US$191-299 price tier, such as Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G and Xiaomi Redmi K40 5G were also capturing significant market share. Lowest mid-range devices (US$36-99) such as Xiaomi Redmi 9A, Samsung Galaxy A21, and Samsung Galaxy A02 were also represented well on the list. Just two models, the Honor 50 5G (US$300-399) and Apple iPhone 11 (US$400-499) belonged to higher mid-range price tiers.

As we’ve noted in our research, the US$100-190 and US$191-299 wholesale price tiers come right after the ultra high-end (US$600+) in terms of their importance as revenue generators. The key distinction is that US$100-190 price tier has by far the highest number of models of any price tier (and thus the fiercest competition), whereas the US$191-299 price tier has only about two thirds as many models. Mid-range vendors should therefore prioritize the US$191-299 price tier over the US$100-190 price tier to get better revenue share by model.

Interested in more detailed price-tier analysis or other insights on the global smartphone market? Clients of our SMT service can access the research here.