Counterpoint is one of those few research groups we look into when it comes to analyzing the numbers of the mobile market. Last year, we remember its report that Nokia was the top brand when it comes to Trust Rankings. This year, we’re learning some more good news as the US smartphone market grew 27% YoY in the first half of 2021. There may be shortage problems when it comes to components but the numbers are looking great. For some brands like Nokia, OnePlus, and Motorola, their numbers even went up especially since LG exited the mobile business.
Despite the pandemic, or should we say because of it, the mobile market grew. With more people being required to stay home and do remote work or online learning, sales of gadgets grew. In the US alone, the premium phone segment saw a 27% YoY growth. Apple and Samsung remained as the top brands with 53% and 17% YoY increase.
Because LG is no longer part of the business, sales went to Nokia HMD, Motorola, and OnePlus instead. We still live in a pandemic world and we know there will be no change anytime soon. The market will only continue to adapt.
Counterpoint’s US Research Director Jeff Fieldhack said, “So far, 2021 has been a challenging year for OEMs. There was a consolidation of the market with LG and VinSmart’s exit, increased demand from carriers for more affordable 5G smartphones, and manufacturing constraints due to the global component shortage. This created a big opportunity for OEMs looking to expand market share.”
OnePlus was singled out as the “fastest growing OEM in H1 2021”. Its growth year-on-year was 428%. The release of the OnePlus N100 and N10 5G in the US back in January helped. OnePlus especially gained a big share within Metro by T-Mobile. OnePlus is also doing great at T-Mobile with the release of the OnePlus 9 phones.
