MediaTek is the world’s top chipset vendor in Q4 2023 –Canalys

MediaTek has emerged as the world’s leading smartphone chip supplier by shipments in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to data from Canalys. The Taiwanese company has shipped over 117 million MediaTek-powered smartphones. Apple and Qualcomm come second and third with 78 million and 69 million shipments, respectively.

MediaTek’s dominance is attributed to its strategic focus on the booming mid-range and low-end smartphone market segments, particularly in emerging economies. This strategy fueled a 21% year-on-year (YoY) growth for the company in smartphone shipments.

Image/ Canalys

While MediaTek leads in shipments, Apple retains the top spot in terms of revenue from smartphone sales. The iPhone maker secured USD 87 billion in revenue which accounted for the company’s 20% YoY increase. Apple’s dominance in revenue is likely due to the premium pricing of its iPhones.

Image/ Canalys

Meanwhile, UNISOC is making significant strides in the low-end market. The Chinese chipmaker — which is under the Transsion umbrella — saw a 24% YoY increase in both shipments and revenue (albeit 27 million shipments and USD 3 billion, respectively).

Google’s shipments and revenue took a hit this quarter, with 3 million units and US$2 billion reported, respectively. Samsung isn’t doing so well either, experiencing a 48% decrease in Exynos-powered smartphone shipments, which brought down revenue to US$5 billion, a 44% decrease from last year.

Huawei seems to be experiencing a resurgence, boasting a staggering 5,121% YoY growth. However, this figure is based on a relatively small volume of just 7 million units shipped globally.

Despite the limited comeback, Huawei did manage to rake in USD 7 billion (a 24,471% YoY increase) thanks to their new Kirin 9000 Series chips.