Apple's Share of Smartphone Sales in Asian Markets Has Soared Since Releasing the iPhone 6

Apple share of smartphone sales in Asian markets has soared since the company released the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research, relayed by the WSJ. Much of the company's gains come at Samsung's expense.

Apple showed big gains in Japan, China and South Korea, with the most striking increase coming in Samsung’s domestic market, where that company used to have an unassailable position. In November, Apple’s market share in that country soared to 33% from less than 15% before the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were introduced, Counterpoint said. Apple passed another South Korean brand, LG Electronics, with a 14% share, to move into the No. 2 position behind Samsung, whose share fell to 46%. Until November, Samsung’s share was hovering at around 60%.

“No foreign brand has gone beyond the 20% market share mark in the history of Korea’s smartphone industry,” said Tom Kang, research director for mobile devices at Counterpoint. “It has always been dominated by the global smartphone leader, Samsung. But iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have made a difference here, denting the competition’s phablet sales.”


iPhone sales are also up in Japan, one of Apple's strongest markets. The company reached 51% marketshare in November, that's up from the mid-teens. Sony was the number two provider with 17% share in November.

In China, Apple is in third place with a share of 12% in November. Xiaomi took first place with 18% and Lenovo took second with 13%. Samsung fell all the way from first to fourth with 9% share in November. Samsung estimates that its operating profit for the last quarter of 2014 dropped about 37% from a year prior.

We'll have more details for you once Apple reports its earnings on January 27th. Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.

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