A Apple, driven by the sales success of the iPhone 12, regained the position it had not held since 2016 in the cell phone market, and became, once again, the largest manufacturer in the segment, overtaking Samsung in the last quarter of 2020. The information was released by Gartner consultancy, this Monday (22/02). According to the agency's research director, Anshul Gupta, global decline 5% drop in smartphone sales during the period did not influence Apple's performance.

“Even as consumers were cautious in their spending and avoided some discretionary purchases, 5G smartphones and professional camera features encouraged some users to buy new smartphones in Q4. Sales of more 5G smartphones and lower- to mid-range smartphones mitigated the market decline in the last quarter of 2020,” he explained. Financial Times.

To regain its position as the world's largest cell phone manufacturer, Apple Apple Inc. bet precisely on 5G connectivity, one of the many attractions of the iPhone 12 family. Apple's growth in the last quarter of last year was 14,9%, enough to give the brand a 20,8% market share, with 79,8 million smartphones sold in the period. Samsung, the former leader in the segment, is now second in the ranking, with 62,1 million phones sold and a decline of 11,8% in the quarter.

Xiaomi has also grown

Another company that stood out in the report released by Gartner was Xiaomi. The Chinese manufacturer recorded greater growth than Apple During the period: 33,9% compared to the previous period, totaling 43,4 million phones sold in the fourth quarter of last year. Behind Xiaomi, in fourth place in the sales ranking, was Huawei, which suffered the effects of US government sanctions. 4 million units were sold – a 4% drop, and a share of only 34,3% of the global market.

The expectation for 2021 is that the growth scenario of smartphones with 5G technology, both low-cost and flagship, will lead to the smartphone market's return to growth. "In 2021, the availability of low-cost 5G smartphones with innovative features will be decisive factors for consumers to upgrade their phones. The growing demand for affordable 5G smartphones outside of China will drive smartphone sales in 2021," concludes Gupta.

Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. TechRadar