The Q2 2022 data for the North American smartphone market share were released by Canalys, and once again, Google was the most notable shifter, with enormous growth numbers thanks to the Pixel 6. According to Canalys, Google increased by 230 percent from the previous quarter and by 380 percent from the year before.
It may sound like a huge accomplishment, but keep in mind that we’re talking about Google’s very insignificant hardware business. With 800,000 units supplied in Q2 2022, the business has secured a 2% share of the North American market. Including the previous quarter, Google’s market share is now consistently in the double-digits. Fifth place, behind Apple (52%), Samsung (26%), Lenovo/Motorola (9%), and TCL (5 percent).
Similarly, the best-selling models are ranked by Canalys. Obviously, the top five are all iPhones, with the most popular being the entry-level iPhone 13 and the least expensive being the iPhone SE. The iPhone 13 Mini came in at number nine, despite rumours that it has been selling so poorly that Apple will not release an iPhone 14 Mini. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, the first Android phone on the list, comes in at number six.
Seventh and eighth place go to the $200 Moto G Power and $250 Galaxy A13, respectively, two smartphones that have little to no competition in their respective price ranges. We hope to see more phone makers (like Google) compete in this pricing range. Research Analyst Brian Lynch from Canalys agrees, stating: “It turns out that the third-generation iPhone SE, the Galaxy A53, and the Galaxy A33 don’t perform as well as advertised. As customers continue to experience the financial pressure of inflation, they are looking for cheaper alternatives to the products they would ordinarily contemplate purchasing, which typically cost between US$250 and US$600.” Overall smartphone demand is down 6.4%, thus the report is also full of talk of the economic slowdown.
The upcoming Google Pixel 6a is too fresh to be included in any of these graphs. Its $449 price tag places it in the same “poorer than initially imagined” category as the iPhone SE and Galaxy A53, while making it more affordable than Google’s $900 and $600 flagships. Seeing how well the phone is doing will require us to wait until the end of Q3.
