Counterpoint published a post today on the performance of the European smartphone market in 2020. Counterpoint said that in 2020, the European smartphone market has experienced a roller coaster – like ups and downs. In April, the market fell to the bottom, and sales plummeted nearly 50% year-on-year. After that, the number of confirmed cases in warming weather decreased. Moreover, the smartphone market gradually recovered in the summer. Overall, the European smartphone market in 2020 will fall by 14% year-on-year.
Xiaomi ‘s Great Success
Counterpoint believes that Xiaomi has achieved great success in Europe in 2020, ranking third in the market. That is a beneficiary of the Huawei ban. Xiaomi performed well in Spain and Italy, with sales shares reaching 28% and 17% in the fourth quarter, respectively. In 2020, Xiaomi achieved a significant year-on-year growth of 90% in Europe. Currently, the challenge for Xiaomi is how to replicate this growth in other countries, especially in high-end markets such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The flagship new machine the Xiaomi Mi 11, launched in February this year, may help Xiaomi open the market.
Also read: Xiaomi Mi 11 Becomes The Most Popular Xiaomi Flagship Among Females
Next is Huawei. Counterpoint said that Huawei was unable to produce competitive smartphones due to the US ban and almost withdrew from the European market. In May, Huawei once surpassed Apple to become the second largest manufacturer in the region after Samsung. However this is mainly because the high-end market was hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic and Apple was in the middle of two new product launches. In 2020, Huawei’s market share fell from 15% in January to 5% in December, and this trend will to continue in 2021.
Regarding the outlook for the European smartphone market in 2021, Counterpoint staff felt that as Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers rushed to release new flagship smartphones in the first quarter, coupled with the government’s relaxation of epidemic control and economic recovery. In conclusion, the market is expected to pick up quickly in 2021.