Not simply because of the COVID-19 epidemic or the more current component supply constraint, but the smartphone market has been in turmoil for the past two years or more. There’s also a shift in market leaders due to the absence of some prior industry heavyweights. Because of LG’s exit, that dynamic is yielding some interesting results in the United States, culminating in the comeback of Motorola and the entry of OnePlus into the country’s top five.
LG just fully exited the rat race known as the smartphone market this year, finally admitting that it has been haemorrhaging for quarters, if not years. Its absence from the worldwide market had an obvious impact on the United States, allowing other brands to recover or gain momentum.
According to Counterpoint Research, OnePlus finally cracked the top five in the country in the third quarter of 2021, with a 3% market share. TCL and Alcatel jointly remained in fourth place, despite a drop in market share from 6% to 5% compared to the same quarter last year. On the other hand, Motorola is the most surprising winner, owing to its current position in third place.
Even if its presence in the smartphone industry has waned, Motorola‘s name still carries some weight in the United States. Of course, Apple hasn’t ceased developing phones, but it has shifted its attention to mid-range and cheap models, more frequently sold in emerging economies. That category has typically been occupied by LG in the United States, leaving it ripe for the grabbing.
The Moto G range is listed as the company’s top-selling model in the study, which isn’t surprising given that the high-end Moto G100 and Motorola Edge were only released recently. Fortunately for the company, it appears to be less affected by the global semiconductor situation, although no one can avoid it in the long run. It may be too soon for Motorola fans to rejoice, but regaining prominence in the United States is no small effort.
Motorola has been putting forth a lot of effort to shed its “mid-range” image. Even though those are likely to remain its key markets, the company has been making efforts to promote more premium features, such as its ill-named Ready On feature for large displays. Nevertheless, Motorola should not squander its unexpected ascension to the country’s coveted third rank, especially because several brands are eager to challenge it for the spot.
Source: counterpointresearch
