Qualcomm has dominated the mid-range and premium flagship market with around 50 percent market share across all price brackets above $300, according to Counterpoint Research.
Qualcomma’s share in smartphones priced above $500 increased from 41 percent in 2020 to 55 percent in 2021 due to the launch of flagships Snapdragon 888 and 8Gen 1.
“Qualcomm struggled with a tight supply throughout the year for its mid-tier solutions. The shift in focus away from 4G SoCs also didn’t help. However, in the high value $300+ segment, Qualcomm continued to dominate with its Snapdragon 7 and 8 series,” the report said.
MediaTek’s growth came from smartphones priced less than $299 (wholesale price). MediaTek’s growth was driven by both LTE and 5G SoCs across this price band.
MediaTek has dominated in Android smartphones in the $100-$299 price band with a 52 percent share. This is where the Dimensity 700 and 800 drove the mass-market adoption of 5G smartphones in markets such as China, India and parts of the US and Europe. This allowed brands such as Realme, Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo to launch 5G phones at price points below the $200 retail price.
Dimensity 1100/1200 helped MediaTek increase share in the $300-$499 price band, where it captured a 24 percent share in 2021, compared to 6 percent in 2020.
MediaTek is looking to strengthen its position in the $300-$499 price band with the launch of the Dimensity 8100/8000.
