Apple and Samsung took the first two places on the list, but most of the brands chosen by Europeans are cheap.
The publication androidauthority.com has published a ranking of the most popular smartphones by region. Focus cites part of this report that concerns Europe.
Apple and Samsung dominate the global smartphone market. In some countries, the two companies have a combined market share of more than 70%, and in some cases Apple has more than half of the market. However, the situation in the world is different. There are not only iPhones and Galaxy on the market — some countries prefer other, cheaper brands to more famous and expensive ones. So, the most popular brands in the EU are:
- Apple: 36.53%
- Samsung: 31.12%
- Xiaomi: 12.95%
- Huawei: 2.82%
- Oppo: 2.36%
While Apple and Samsung are the leaders, the US company has a significantly smaller market share than in North America, with Samsung at 51.2% versus 36.53%. This could be due to differences in personal preferences between the two regions, although it is more likely to be due to purchasing power, which is not as high across Europe as it is in the US, for example. This hypothesis is indirectly supported by the manufacturers of cheaper phones that made it to this list – Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo – which appeal to consumers on a budget. The source of this data is Statcounter, although other market research companies have placed Motorola and Honor in the bottom two places on the list.
The difference in purchasing power is also shown in the data for the three countries below. While in the UK Apple with its expensive smartphones holds about half of the market, in Germany, where people are used to saving, Apple's share drops to around 37%. On the other hand, affordable Xiaomi models capture most of the market. In Spain, which is not an economic center like the UK and Germany, Apple is in third place, and Xiaomi is in first. Of course, this is not always related to the purchasing power of citizens, as personal preferences and the overall presence of the brand in the region play a role.
- United Kingdom: Apple (50.81%), Samsung (30.86%), Google (4.55%)
- Germany: Apple (37.01%), Samsung (33.88%), Xiaomi (12%)
- Spain: Xiaomi (28.26%), Samsung (27.09%), Apple (23.48%)