IDC: Realme PH takes top spot in phone shipments for 2021

The past year saw Realme reign over the Filipino phone market according to the latest report of the International Data Corporation (IDC). With 20.6 percent market share for Q4 2021 and 22.2 percent for the entire year, Realme’s 2021 performance has improved from its 2020 numbers by nearly 8 percent.

Over 70 percent of Realme’s total shipments were accounted by its C-series.

OPPO is in second place for 2021 with 14.7 percent market share, albeit its annual shipment has only increased by 0.3 percent. Similar to Realme, OPPO’s shipments were driven by its low-end offerings such as the A-16 and A-55.

Transsion, which has Tecno and Infinix under its wing, saw a quantum leap of 45 percent compared to its 2020 numbers. This gave it a 2021 market share of 13.8 percent, landing at third place for the entire year.

Samsung is in fourth place at 13.5 percent market share in 2021, improving by 27 percent from 2020. The A-series was seen as the primary driver of Samsung’s shipments.

Vivo, meanwhile, shrunk by 29 percent from its 2020 numbers, settling for fifth place with 13.4 percent market share. Supply challenges were observed, but IDC notes how vivo managed to pull through in the last quarter.

Overall, the smartphone market saw a 5.6 percent decrease in shipments on a year-on-year basis for 2021. IDC points to restrictions and supply constraints, particularly in the second half of the year, contributing to the struggle of these companies with low inventories across channels. Nonetheless, the report gives a hopeful forecast for 2022.

“With the rollout of 5G networks across the country, the growth will be driven by 5G smartphones, which made up 12.7% of shipments in 2021. The share is expected to double in 2022. In addition, aggressive pricing among Chinese vendors has dragged the average price for 5G Android smartphones down from US$471 in 4Q20 to US$386 in 4Q21, with some 5G models priced less than US$200,” says Angela Medez, Client Devices Market Analyst at IDC Philippines.

“Shipments to retail channels are expected to bounce back in 2022, as foot traffic continues to increase in the shopping malls, where most of the key smartphone stores and kiosks are located in the larger cities. The vendors are expected to restart their retail expansion and open more stores across the country, which had taken a hiatus during the lockdown periods,” she added.

The IDC Mobile Quarterly Phone Tracker covers more than 350 vendors in over 100 countries globally. Forecasts for this tracker include historical data, up to two years of quarterly forecasts, and an additional three years of annual market projections.

Source: IDC