Samsung’s share of the high-end smartphone market may be starting to slip
Samsung and Apple remain the two biggest players in smartphones, but the last few months has suggested there are cracks in their respective foundations. Samsung is still dealing with the fallout of its Galaxy Note 7 debacle, and Apple appears to be banking on its next iPhone being a home run.
When it comes to premium smartphones, though, some analysts think Apple is in better shape. This chart from Credit Suisse shows that while Apple’s share of the high-end market — here defined as phones sold for $400 or higher — has grown as of late, Samsung’s has started to taper off.
Credit Suisse expects the trend to continue going forward. In a note released on Tuesday, the firm says it sees the Galaxy Note 7 mess and the long-predicted “supercycle” of iPhone 8 demand being “positive drivers for the iPhone business going forward.” Meanwhile, Credit Suisse says it’s “concerned” about the spectre of the Note 7 looming over Samsung’s premium Galaxy phones in the long-term.
All that said, just because this is how things could play out between the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 doesn’t mean it’s how the smartphone market will unfurl as a whole. The wave of affordable Chinese phones remains a challenge to both, for one. And while Apple’s margins are still massive, many analysts think they’ll continue to decline.
Credit Suisse