Samsung is experiencing some post Christmas blues after Apple subjected it to a thorough drubbing in the mad scramble for smartphones during the holidays. This was revealed by a recent report that claimed Apple dominated phone activations the entire season.
On a more positive note, the Flurry report pointed out that, despite its second place finish, Samsung has managed to improve its position although by a hairline. It posted a 1 percent improvement compared to its performance last year.
But what about the other smartphones?
Smartphone Market Performance
One should remember that Apple and Samsung's collective shares accounted for the bulk of phone activations during the overlapping Hanukkah and Christmas festivities. This means there is only a measly 35 percent left for other handsets to fight over.
Interestingly, Google Pixel was nowhere to be found in this battle. The Chinese brand Huawei claimed the third spot with 3 percent. It is followed closely by LG, Amazon, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Motorola, which all claimed 2 percent each.
Aside from brand popularity, there could be other variables that explain why Apple and Samsung dominated the Flurry ranking. This is demonstrated in the way Google Pixel topped a similar report conducted by Localytics after Thanksgiving. Its non-appearance in the latest report, therefore, is a bit of an anomaly.
Phone Fatigue
One of the potential reasons why some popular smartphones have dramatically lagged by the time the holidays kicked in is phone fatigue. This is a phenomenon wherein consumers are opting to hang on to their devices after finding out that the current handsets on the market are offering nothing new.
There are observers who are blaming this phenomenon on an emerging trend that is best depicted in the declining sales of both Apple and Samsung smartphones. The latter experienced a significant 14 percent sales drop in the third quarter of 2016.
Certainly, you may say that it can partly be attributed to the Note 7 recall.
One would, however, find that the trend is the same for Apple, which saw a 6.6 percent decline in sales in the same quarter.
On Cheaper Phone Alternatives
Some sources further cite the way carriers are now reducing its support for subsidized plans, which forces consumers to buy handsets at their full retail prices. This purportedly nudges a good number of people toward cheaper handsets.
Now, this might also explain the sudden popularity of Chinese-made smartphones, which offer specs comparable to high-end devices but at more affordable price points.
