New year rhymes with the arrival of balance sheets for the past period. Analysis firms specializing in new technologies thus provide their observations on the behavior of the smartphone market in 2023, a year during which it showed a slightly less marked decline than the previous ones, giving hope for a rebound in 2024. Counterpoint specifies its analysis to start the year, noting the strength of the high-end smartphone market.
According to the firm, premium mobiles represented 15% of sales in 2019, and only 6% of terminals delivered three years earlier, in 2016 – a time when €1000 models were rare. For the year 2023, Counterpoint considers that 24% of smartphones sold fall into the premium segment, an increase of 6% compared to 2022. And if they represent almost a quarter of sales of new products, these devices represent some 60% of turnover in the mobile market. One clarification, however: by premium smartphones, Counterpoint does not only mean terminals with a four-digit sales price, but means devices costing at least $600 excluding taxes. In other words, a large proportion of the models currently on the market, the average price of devices sold being estimated at more than €400.
Still according to Counterpoint, Apple supplies the vast majority of the high-end models concerned. However, if it represents 71%, it is a little less than in 2022, when it accounted for 75% of smartphones over $600 sold. Samsung gains one point (17%), as does Xiaomi (2%), while Huawei, which is gaining momentum in China thanks to its Mate 60 series, obtains 2 additional points (5%). “Within the premium market, it is the ultra-premium segment that is driving this growth. The $1,000 and above price range has captured more than a third of premium market sales in 2023”, notes Counterpoint. A trend which should continue in 2024, the releases of terminals of this type are already looming in the coming weeks: the Galaxy S24, among the most anticipated products of the start of the year, should in fact be made official before the end of this month of January.