Key Takeaways:
- Global Handset Sell-in & Sell-Through Inclines
- Sell-through was strong compared to August as it jumped 11% MoM. India was most impressive as Diwali related sales promotions helped bolster sales. However it was still weaker than last year.
- Japan, US and Western Europe also showed strong growth as the new iPhones were launched. Korea enjoyed a jump in sales as 5G promotions continued, along with the new Samsung Note 10 series.
- Sell-in also jumped but not as much, as many brands have become conservative. So, the sell-in increase was only 9% compared to last month (handset sell-in for September was 166 million). However some brands like Huawei and Realme stuffed the channels for various reasons and we think inventory for these brands will be high until the end of the year.
- Apple Registers Strong Growth, Samsung Remains Flat MoM and Huawei Achieves Moderate Growth
- Apple regained market share with the launch of new iPhone models. It increased 86% MoM and 9.4%YoY. iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Max remained best selling smartphones within premium ($600-$799) and ultra-premium ($800+) price bands, respectively.
- Samsung’s sales volume remained nearly flat MoM, but it lost market share. Samsung’s A series models – A20, A10 and A50 are still among top five best-selling smartphones under $300.
- Huawei declined 7% MoM in China ahead of Apple’s launch, but it gained back in EU with 28% MoM growth. Huawei continues to sit on high inventories in the China region.
- Apple Gains Further in Ultra-Premium & Premium Price Band
- Ultra premium price band gained with launch of new iPhones – iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max. In the first month, iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Max have gathered strong initial uptake while iPhone 11 Pro demand is comparatively moderate.
- iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max together accounted for 24% of Apple’s sell-though this month, driving the overall share of the ultra-premium segment. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10+ also made a significant contribution to the ultra-premium price band as it continues to do well in Korea, the US and other developed markets.
- iPhone 11 was the main contributor to the premium price band.
Author: Hanish Bhatia
Number of Pages: 39
Published Date: November 2019