Ultra high-end smartphones, priced at US$600 wholesale and above, were responsible for half of all smartphone revenue in the second quarter of 2022, somewhat less than in the previous two quarters. Besides the mid-range price tier of US$100-190 (wholesale), the US$191-299 and US$300-399 price tiers represent significant sources of revenue, together 22% of all smartphone revenue in Q2. Indeed, altogether eight models belonged to either of these price tiers on top-20 list of most revenue-generating smartphone models, according to recent research from Strategy Analytics’ Smartphone Model Tracker (SMT). These two price tiers also have fewer competing models than the overcrowded US$100-190 price tier. The top models from these price tiers are shown in the exhibit below.


 
The Apple iPhone SE 5G, Samsung Galaxy A73 5G, Vivo V23 5G, and Xiaomi 12 5G belong to the premium price tier, US$300-399 wholesale, whereas the other six devices are from the US$191-299 price tier. Globally, looking at all price tiers in terms of revenue, these devices ranked between no.6 and no.22, taking from 0.5% to 1.8% revenue share, an impressive achievement, since most other models in the top-20 are from higher-end price tiers. This goes to show that there are significant revenue opportunities beyond flagship and ultra-high-end devices available to multiple vendors, not just Apple and Samsung, that other vendors should prioritize.

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.