The COVID-19 pandemic has left its mark on the European smartphone market last year, but signs are showing that the old continent is on the road to recovery. The smartphone market in Europe grew 6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021, with Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands enjoying a strong start, and with Samsung leading all three markets, reveals Counterpoint Research.
Samsung led the smartphone market in Denmark in Q1 2021 with a shipment share of 36%, and the research firm partly attributes this success to Huawei's downfall. Surprisingly though, OnePlus performed great and has increased its shipments by more than 200% YoY, leading to the company's 5% market share in Q1.
In Finland, Apple was leading the pack in Q4 2020, but Samsung was able to turn the tables on the iPhone manufacturer in Q1 by capturing nearly 40% of the shipment market share. Similarly, Huawei and Xiaomi have reversed roles in Q1, with the latter company coming out on top. The smartphone market as a whole grew 28% YoY in Finland, signaling a strong recovery from last year.
As for the Dutch smartphone market, it, too, grew by 14% year-on-year. Once again, Samsung continued leading the market in the Netherlands throughout Q1, but at 18% year-on-year growth, it didn't experience nearly as much as other companies including Oppo, OnePlus, Apple, and Xiaomi, the latter of which has recorded a massive 350% YoY hike.
The ASPs (average selling prices) for smartphones grew in all three markets in Q1 2021 compared to the previous year. The research firm believes that this was caused by the arrival of 5G phones manufactured by Chinese OEMs, strong iPhone 12 demand, as well as Samsung's decision to release the Galaxy S21 series early.
