Samsung's smartphone market share in Japan was three times larger in Q3 2019 compared to a year ago, according to a recent report from domestic media outlet The Korea Herald citing Strategy Analytics. Samsung reportedly shipped 500,000 smartphones throughout the July-September period, or 100,000 fewer units compared to the previous quarter.
The company's market share in Japan stood at 6.7 percent at the end of September. It's a considerable improvement compared to the 2.4 percent market share topped in Q3 2018, but it also isn't quite as high as the 9.8 percent share registered at the end of June of this year.
Apple is still ahead, but Samsung beats all other rivals
Apple maintains its top spot in Japan with a whopping 63 percent share of the market, up from 50.8 percent in the previous quarter. Given the huge gap between Apple and Samsung in Japan, the latter is threatened more by smaller domestic companies than it is by its biggest rival. Fortunately for Samsung, the company maintained its second place in Japan and continues to be followed by Sharp and Sony in the third and fourth places, respectively.
Neither the Galaxy Note 10 nor the Galaxy Fold have contributed in Q3
It's important to note that Samsung has achieved a 6.7 percent market share over the third quarter without any help from the Galaxy Note 10 series or the Galaxy Fold. The Galaxy Note 10 lineup launched in August and it was followed by the Galaxy Fold in September in many markets. However, this wasn't the case for Japan where both the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Fold have arrived in the country no earlier than October. As a result, their sales figures will count towards the results for the fourth quarter of the year.
You could say that Samsung's market performance in Japan throughout Q3 was quite good, especially considering the lack of flagship options. But whether or not the figure will improve by the end of Q4 with the help of the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Fold remains to be seen.
