Google’s Pixel is the Only Brand To Ship More Smartphones Last Quarter
Only the Google Pixel was able to gain some more popularity when compared to last year, even doubling its market share. It is the only smartphone manufacturer to move in a positive direction.
The Google Pixel, to be clear, still isn’t exactly a power player among smartphones. Google only has a 4 percent market share in North America, according to a report from Canalys. But as every other smartphone maker shrank rather than grew when comparing shipments year-over-year, it’s likely welcome news for the Pixel maker.
It’s the only bright spot in the report, reports 9to5Google, which adds that Q2 2023 was the worst for smartphones in North America in more than a decade.
“Macroeconomic challenges, including rising interest rates and persistent inflation, led to a drop in consumer demand. The second half of 2023 will see a marginal uptick in sales as vendors will launch new models in Q3,” the Canalys report reads.
Apple, which remain the titan of the industry with a 54 percent market share, had 20 percent less growth year-over-year. Second to Apple is Samsung which makes up less than half the market share the iPhone boasts, at just 24 percent. Additionally, its year-over-year growth was down 27 percent. However, both have new models available now. The iPhone 15 (all four models of it) and the Samsung Galaxy Fold5 and Flip5 are expected to boost the smartphone makers’ shipments.
But amid those losses, Google grew 59 percent. That’s alreaty a great start but it could get even better as the company has an upgrade coming out too, with the expected unveiling of Google Pixel 8 arriving on October 4. It brought out its first folding smartphone this past summer. The Google Pixel series is also an excellent option for those who want to make the most of their mobile camera.
“Brands such as Google Pixel and Motorola, which have been keeping up with the premiumization game with their flagship foldable devices this year, will further sweeten the holiday deals that hit the market in November and December,” Lindsey Upton, an analyst with Canalys, says.
Still, Canalys expected smartphone shipments to drop 12 percent altogether this year.
“The market is highly volatile,” Upton added, “as poor economic conditions accelerate key trends in the smartphone industry, such as elongated refresh cycles and declining carrier subsidies, adding to the industry’s sustainability imperatives and the ongoing 5G drive.”
Image credits: Header photo by Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake for PetaPixel
