Southeast Asia Smartphone Market Report 2024: Rise of Domestic Brands, Samsung's Market Share Continues to Decline

Southeast Asia Smartphone Market Report 2024: Rise of Domestic Brands, Samsung's Market Share Continues to DeclineOn February 11th, Canalys, a leading market research firm, released its full-year and Q4 2024 report on the Southeast Asia smartphone market. The data reveals a strong rebound in the market after two consecutive years of year-on-year decline

Southeast Asia Smartphone Market Report 2024: Rise of Domestic Brands, Samsung's Market Share Continues to Decline

On February 11th, Canalys, a leading market research firm, released its full-year and Q4 2024 report on the Southeast Asia smartphone market. The data reveals a strong rebound in the market after two consecutive years of year-on-year decline. Total shipments reached 96.7 million units, representing an 11% year-on-year growth, demonstrating robust market vitality. The report provides a detailed analysis of the performance of major brands, highlighting significant shifts in the market landscape, particularly the strong rise of domestic Chinese brands, posing a significant challenge to Samsung.

Q4 2024: Transsion Takes the Lead, Domestic Brands Register Collective Growth

In Q4 2024, Southeast Asia smartphone shipments reached 24.4 million units, a 3% year-on-year increase. Remarkably, Transsion secured the top spot for the first time, shipping 4.1 million units, achieving a 17% market share and a 4% year-on-year growth. This signifies Transsion's rising prominence and enhanced competitiveness in the Southeast Asian market.

Following closely was OPPO, with 3.9 million units shipped and a 16% market share, representing a 9% year-on-year growth (Note: Canalys data for OPPO does not include OnePlus). Xiaomi ranked third with 3.8 million units shipped and a 16% market share, a 5% year-on-year increase. Xiaomi's successful strategy in the low-end market is steadily closing the gap with OPPO and Transsion.

Samsung ranked fourth with 3.6 million units shipped and a 15% market share, experiencing a 15% year-on-year declinethe only top-five brand to show a decrease. vivo secured fifth place with 3.5 million units shipped and a 14% market share, a 10% year-on-year growth, marking its best quarterly performance in Southeast Asia since 2022, largely attributed to the success of the vivo Y19.

It's noteworthy that competition among the top five brands was exceptionally fierce, with minimal differences in rankings. For example, the shipment difference between Xiaomi and OPPO was only 100,000 units, highlighting the potential for rank reversals with minor market fluctuations. This foreshadows the intense and unpredictable nature of future competition. All data clearly shows that except for Samsung, all other four brands experienced growth.

Full Year 2024: OPPO Leads, Domestic Brands Surpass Samsung

The overall landscape of the Southeast Asia smartphone market in 2024 also underwent significant changes. OPPO secured the top spot for the year with 16.9 million units shipped, capturing an 18% market share and achieving a 14% year-on-year growth. This demonstrates OPPO's firmly established leadership in the region.

While Samsung held the second position with 16.6 million units shipped and a 17% market share, it experienced a 9% year-on-year decline, indicating a continuous shrinkage of its market share. Transsion ranked third with 15.5 million units shipped and a 16% market share, experiencing a remarkable 41% year-on-year growththe highest among the top five brands. Xiaomi also secured 15.5 million units shipped and a 16% market share, registering a 26% year-on-year growth. vivo ranked fifth with 12.3 million units shipped and a 13% market share, achieving a 14% year-on-year growth.

Similar to Q4, all brands except Samsung experienced year-on-year growth for the full year. The identical full-year shipments of Xiaomi and Transsion, sharing the third and fourth positions, further emphasize the intense competition among domestic Chinese brands.

Rise of Domestic Brands, Samsung Faces a Stern Challenge

The data for both the full year and Q4 2024 clearly reveals a dominant trend: the collective rise of domestic Chinese brands and the significant challenge faced by Samsung. Among the top five brands, only Samsung experienced a decline, while all other brands (all domestic) showed growth. This signifies a profound transformation in the Southeast Asian smartphone market.

This "siege" of Samsung by domestic brands is not accidental. Domestic brands continuously refine their pricing, features, and market strategies to meet the diverse needs of Southeast Asian consumers, rapidly gaining market share. Samsung's failure to adapt to market changes, coupled with shortcomings in product competitiveness and market strategy, has led to its sustained market share decline.

Transsion's rise is particularly noteworthy. Its experience in the African market has been successfully replicated in Southeast Asia, where precise market positioning and differentiated competitive strategies have quickly gained consumer acceptance. Xiaomi's strong cost-performance advantage and deep cultivation of the low-end market have continuously expanded its market share. OPPO and vivo have maintained steady growth through strong brand influence and product competitiveness.

In conclusion, the 2024 Southeast Asia smartphone market report demonstrates the strong rise of domestic brands and the continuous decline of Samsung's market share, resulting in significantly altered market dynamics. The Southeast Asian smartphone market will continue to witness intense competition. Domestic brands will maintain their growth momentum, while Samsung needs to proactively address challenges to reverse its decline and maintain competitiveness. This foreshadows even fiercer competition, demanding continuous innovation and adaptation from all brands to stand out. The success of domestic brands in Southeast Asia provides valuable experience for other emerging markets.