Global smartphone chip shipments grew 6 percent in Q3 2021 and MediaTek has emerged as the leader with a 40 percent share, according to Counterpoint.
MediaTek’s revenues increased sequentially as the mix of the mid-end and high-end smartphone chip business grew. The blended ASP will continue to increase due to the launch of flagship products in Q1 2022 and an increase in chipset prices starting Q4 2021.
4G chipsets continued to be in strong demand due to the ongoing shortages, which have affected 4G chip more.
Qualcomm grew 9 percent sequentially due to dual sourcing from foundries. Qualcomm dominated the 5G baseband modem shipments with a 62 per cent share. The refreshed portfolio in the Snapdragon 7, 6 and 4 series will further help it gain share in Q4 2021.
“The key to Qualcomm’s revenue growth was its ability to dual-source manufacturing of components, namely the Snapdragon 800 series chips and its premium 5G modem. Qualcomm led the 5G baseband market with a 62 percent share,” Parv Sharma, Research Analyst, said.
Apple maintained its third position in the smartphone chipset market in Q3 2021 with 15 percent share. Apple’s chip market share will grow further in Q4 2021 due to the launch of the Apple iPhone 13 models and festive season. However, component shortages will affect festive season sales for Apple.
