Samsung Electronics regained its position as the leading smartphone brand in the Southeast Asian market in January after losing it at the end of last year.
However, due to the increasing popularity of Chinese brands, the company’s shipment volume and market share decreased compared to the same period last year.
According to Canalys, a market research firm, a total of 7.26 million smartphones were shipped in January from five Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. It marks a 20% increase in shipment volume compared to the same period last year.
Among these, Samsung Electronics has shipped 1.5 million units, fueled by the popularity of the Galaxy S24 series. As a result, the company has achieved a market share of 20% , securing the first rank. Samsung had lost the top spot to the Chinese company Transsion in December last year but managed to regain it within a month.
According to Canalys, the overall economic recovery in Southeast Asia has led to an increase in smartphone demand. Rising interest in Galaxy’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology has been a positive factor as well.
Xiaomi secured the second spot in the market with a share of 18%, followed by Transsion and Oppo, both with a share of 15%. Vivo came in fifth with 12%.
However, Samsung Electronics is lagging behind Chinese companies in terms of growth.
In January, Samsung’s smartphone shipments in Southeast Asia declined by 11% year-on-year, and its market share dropped by 7 percentage points to 20% from 27% in January of the last year.
On the contrary, Xiaomi’s shipment volume surged by 128% during the same period, and Transsion’s shipments exploded by 190%, challenging Samsung Electronics.
