Qualcomm captures over 50% share in 5G smartphone processor market

The smartphone Applications Processor (AP) market declined 3 percent to $19.6 billion in 2019, according to Strategy Analytics.
Qualcomm, Apple, HiSilicon, Samsung LSI and MediaTek captured the top-five revenue share spots in the global smartphone applications processor (AP) market in 2019. Qualcomm has maintained the smartphone AP market with 36 percent revenue share followed by Apple with 24 percent and Huawei’s HiSilicon with 14 percent.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled smartphone applications processor (AP) shipments grew 45 percent.

Smartphone applications processors (AP) with on-device AI engines accounted for nearly 51 percent of total smartphone APs shipped in 2019 up from approximately 31 percent in 2018.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 and 855 Plus processors featured in smartphones including the Samsung Galaxy S10, Note 10 5G, Google Pixel 4, Xiaomi Mi 9 and OnePlus 7T Pro among others.

Qualcomm captured over 50 percent share in 5G smartphones in 2019, the report said. Strategy Analytics believes that Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 and 765/G processors will further expand its 5G share and volume in 2020.

Vertical smartphone AP vendors Apple, HiSilicon and Samsung LSI have gained market share in 2019. Strategy Analytics estimates that together these companies captured 50 percent revenue share in 2019.

Smartphone OEMs who design their own processors continue to be a strategic threat to merchant vendors such as Qualcomm and MediaTek.