Samsung takes over with largest European footprint

A new report shows that more than 40% of the European smartphone market belongs to Samsung, which is more than double its biggest rival.

According to new research conducted by analyst firm, Canalys, around 18.3 million Samsung devices were shipped across Europe in the second half of 2019.

The reason for Samsung's success in the European smartphone market could be down to the number of competitive devices recently launched.

Canalys says that the Samsung A Series accounted for over 12 million units.

Following on from last week's announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+, we don't think this news comes as much of a surprise.

Huawei is Samsung's largest competitor, but it's European Shipments actually fell by 16% to 8.5 million units in the same time frame as Samsung's growth. This meant that Huawei's market share fell from 22.4% to 18.8%, which could be due to impact of the politics recently surrounding the Chinese firm.

Canalys said:

"Samsung obviously had enough of losing share in Europe. For years, a focus on operating profit has stifled its product strategy."

"But its success is not solely due to product strategy. Samsung has been quick to capitalise on Huawei's US Entry List problems, working behind the scenes to position itself as a stable alternative in conversations with important retailers and operators."

"A lack of brand loyalty among users of low-end and mid-range Android phones, which has blighted Samsung for so long, has become the catalyst for its best performance in years."

Europe is currently one of the most volatile markets in the world.

Below Samsung and Huawei is Apple, making it the third-largest smartphone vendor in Europe; however, it still saw it's iPhone sales decrease by 17% to 6.4 million units.

On the other hand, Xiaomi's sales increased by a huge 48% to 4.3 million units.

Mo Jia, an Analyst, and Canalys said:

"Xiaomi is now a major force in Europe. Its core strength remains price-sensitive countries across Europe, in online and open market, but it is increasingly being trusted and ranged by important mobile operators."

"If Samsung consolidates its power against a weakened Huawei, it can negotiate harder on margin."

"For this reason, distributors, retailers, and mobile operators are actively seeking alternative brands to fill the gap and reduce thier dependence on Samsung."