The iPhone represents 51.9% of the smartphone market in Japan!
There are countries where the iPhone is the undisputed king of the market. Of course, the United States, as the company’s headquarters, is one of them and follows closely behind. Japan. And the fact is that the Asian country and those with the bitten apple have had a special relationship since 2008, when the iPhone arrived to offer differential features of its product, overtaking local suppliers and positioning itself as number one. Since then, the landscape has not changed much and the iPhone has retained its leadership.
According to International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the iPhone was the best-selling smartphone in Japan during the fourth quarter of 2023. During this period, iPhone sales in Japan totaled 8.3 million units and it was the first time they exceeded 8 million shipments compared to other quarters of the same year
In Japan, the iPhone is king
Even if Smartphone shipments represented a 3.5% decline compared to the same period in 2022Apple continued to dominate the smartphone market with strong demand for its iPhone 15 series.
SO, It’s been 12 years since Apple’s iPhone led smartphone sales in Japan, and in recent years it has consistently managed to sell between 49% and 51% of all smartphones in the country. According to IDC, this percentage continues for the fourth quarter of 2023, with Apple representing 51.9% of the market.
Followed by Apple, Sharp regained its second position in the market with a consistent customer base in the senior segment for its affordable smartphones. But Google had the highest profit and growth during the second quarter of 2023. While other global vendors like Lenovo, which acquired FCNT, and Xiaomi, will strengthen their presence in the Japanese market.
Apple leads the five most popular smartphone makers in Japan
Regarding the leadership of Apple and other foreign companies in Japan, Masafumi Inbe, market analyst at IDC Japan, explained in a statement some of the features that benefit this panorama:
“Japan is a market where local suppliers have shown themselves to be exceptionally strong. However, amid increasingly intense competition in the smartphone market, local suppliers in Japan are gradually finding it difficult to compete with global suppliers in terms of product development and competitiveness, especially foldable smartphones and smartphones. equipped with artificial intelligence.
Japan’s technological prowess is known around the world, but when it comes to smartphones, they rely on the best.
