Data provided by Counterpoint show that Apple recorded the highest profit in the third quarter of 2017 in the mobile phone industry, with its long-time competitor Samsung holding the top spot, but with more than half of its market share.
Counterpoint says that Apple rose to 59.8%, while Samsung is second with only 25.9 percent. And as the gap between the two is huge, this is actually a drop for the iPhone manufacturer from 85.9 percent over time.
Huawei is third in the charts with an increase from 3.3% to 4.9%, followed by OPPO at 4.0%. Vivo is last at the top with 3.1%.
The research company explains that Chinese phone manufacturers are developing at a rapid pace and in the last quarter their cumulative profit exceeds 1.5 billion dollars for the first time.
“The development of Chinese brands can be attributed to diligent efforts to rationalize the supply chain with the growing mix of mid‑ to high‑tech smartphones in their portfolio. Even in the premium segment, players such as Huawei place their flagship models just below the subsidy offers from Apple and Samsung. This strategy is designed to penetrate the high‑quality market while maximizing revenue and profits, “says Counterpoint analyst Tarun Pathak.
On the other hand, Apple continues to be the king and the company estimates that profit will increase next quarter, thanks to the iPhone X. Apple's anniversary model was released on November 3 and, due to supply problems, it is estimated to be slightly lower than expectations, while a significant increase is expected in early 2018.
“Apple continues to generate profits of over $150 per iPhone sold and this will continue to increase in the holiday quarter marked by the high‑priced iPhone X series. Recent checks of our channels across all major Apple markets showed that demand for the 256GB version of the iPhone X is higher, a fact that will further boost Apple’s profits, “added Counterpoint researcher Neil Shah.
The research notes that Apple unit profits are at least 5 times higher than Samsung's levels and 15 times higher than those of the Chinese brand, reaching $151 in the last quarter. Samsung is currently at $31, while Chinese companies have surpassed $15.
