Apple continues to lead the global premium smartphone segment, taking more than half the market in 2018, according to Counterpoint Research. Its figures found that OnePlus entered the top five premium brands for the first time in 2018.
Overall, the premium segment grew faster than the total smartphone market, with a 14 percent increase in terms of sell-in and 18 percent growth in terms of sell-through. Growth was driven by new iPhones and launches by Chinese OEMs like Huawei, Oppo and OnePlus, the market researcher said. Counterpoint expects the double-digit growth to continue, driven by the growing number of premium features coming to smartphones.
Apple remained the market leader in 2018, capturing a 51 percent share of the premium segment, well ahead of Samsung's 22 percent share. Huawei came third, achieving a double-digit share of 10 percent for the first time. Oppo came fourth with a 6 percent share, and OnePlus fifth with 2 percent. Oppo (+863%), OnePlus (+209%), and Xiaomi (+149%) were the fastest growing brands in the premium segment.
While Counterpoint counts almost 40 brands competing the premium segment, the top five players still account for almost 90 percent of shipments. The premium segment contributed nearly a quarter (22%) of the global smartphone shipments in 2018.
The strong performance from Oppo came from its home market China, where the R15 and R17 series did well. In addition, the brand is actively targeting European countries with its mid-range and high-end offerings.
OnePlus's performance was down to the OnePlus 6T model, which sold well in China, India and Western Europe. In addition to leading the Indian premium segment for a third consecutive quarter in Q4 2018, OnePlus entered the top five premium OEMs in the US in the quarter, according to Counterpoint. It also estimates that Google entered the top five premium smartphone brands in Western Europe in 2018.
