Samsung market share expected to see 10% drop in 2018

Samsung are indisputable kings of the smartphone market at the moment, with the South Korean company maintaining a sizeable 9..6% global market share advantage over closest rivals Apple. While the company sits on the metaphorical smartphone throne at the moment, analysts predict that a decline is incoming, with a report by Korean business outlet, Business Korea, expecting the electronics juggernaut to see a 10% drop in its global smartphone market share.

According to the report, the company may see a decrease from its 319.8 million recorded shipments this year, to a projected 315.3 million total shipments in 2018. This decline in Samsung's fortunes is expected to be caused by increased competition in the premium segment by Apple, and in the budget-cum-mid-range market by Chinese brands.

Apple is expected to see a rise from 215.4 million shipments to 218.1 million in 2018, a growth that would see the company's global market share climb from 14.0% to 14.3%. Huawei, the third largest smartphone brand in the world, is expected to see a rise from 156 million shipments this year to 164.5 million next year, with a market share increase from 9.3% to 10%. OPPO, next in line, is expected to experience a growth from 121.9 million shipments to 127.5 million in 2018. Lastly, Xiaomi, keeping with its recent growth, will see a bump in shipment numbers from 95.7 million to 120..1 million next year, which would be the largest growth of all the top-rated brands.

Samsung's expected decline is also said to be a result of the company's lack of presence in the biggest smartphone market in the world, China, with a report earlier in the week placing the company's Chinese market share at a pitiful 2.2%. Samsung has a grip on the second largest market in the world, India, however, but even that may be slipping away soon, with Xiaomi almost certain to get the top spot in the coming months.

All of these are, of course, expected figures derived from analysis on current statistical data and trends; things may turn out radically different next year.