- Electronics Brands
-
The largest smartphone company in the world is Apple, with a 2021 sales of $365.817 billion and a market share of 23%.
-
As of 2022, the global smartphone industry has a market size of $484.81 billion.
-
91.16% of the global population has a smartphone.
-
The global smartphone market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% through 2029.
Nearly all of us have one; that little pocket computer we use to check important emails and scroll social media aimlessly for an hour. Smartphones can provide us with socialization or entertainment and are becoming increasingly important for work, school, and gathering information. Truthfully, functioning without one can be unimaginable.
Given the importance of these devices, it’s no wonder a few massive companies worldwide produce them. In 2020 alone, 1.38 billion smartphones were sold worldwide. That’s over 300 times the amount of people born that year!
So with that in mind, who are the biggest smartphone companies today? To answer that, we’ve gathered a list of the top 10 largest smartphone brands in the world, based on their units shipped in 2020.
Detailed List of the 10 Largest Smartphone Companies
-
2021 Sales: $365.817 billion
Producing the most popular phones in America, and the second most popular worldwide, Apple has long been a symbol of innovation. The company employs 147,000 people across 25 countries, which is notably less than Samsung.
Apple had risen to fame in the smartphone industry after the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. It was the first touchscreen phone to offer full access to the internet, which was something unheard of at the time. Believe it or not, over 2 billion iPhones have been sold since their invention.
Apple smartphones use an operating system known as iOS, as opposed to Android. iOS was developed by Apple, exclusively for their devices, and makes use of Apple’s highly developed mobile app system. For example, Apple’s App Store contains more than 2.1 million iOS applications!
For now Apple continues to maintain steady growth, especially considering its brand loyalty among customers.
-
2021 Sales: $240.71 billion
Initially entering the South Korean electronic scene in 1969, Samsung continues to be the largest smartphone company in the world. Globally, the company employs almost 290,000 people and operates in 74 countries.
Today, Samsung’s most popular products include variants of the Samsung Galaxy, such as the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, the Galaxy A52, and the Galaxy A32. Overall, the Galaxy is the company’s most prominent and marketed brand, which is manufactured by and uses semiconductor chips made by their affiliate Samsung Electronics.
These phones use an operating system known as Android, which is a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software. If you’ve heard the term before, that’s because there’s often debate between which operating system (iOS or Android) is superior in the U.S.
The Android system is used to enable functionality in touchscreen mobile devices, such as smartphones. Most notably, Android has a heavy affiliation with Google Mobile Services (GMS), which includes core apps like Google Chrome and Google Play.
Though Samsung has an impressive market share of 18.8%, the company has seen a dip in growth. From 2019-2020, Samsung’s growth dropped by -14.6%. If this trend continues, perhaps a new smartphone company might overtake them in the future.
-
Huawei
2021 Sales: $ 93.908 billion
Founded in 1987, Huawei is the largest Chinese phone company and the 3rd largest phone company globally. This is especially interesting given that Huawei is a private company in China, instead of a public one, which is rare.
Today, the company operates worldwide in 170 countries, with the exception of the U.S., and employs roughly 194,000 people.
Huawei’s most popular brands include the Huawei P30 and the Huawei Mate 20. These mobile phones run on an Android processing system, similar to Samsung.
Huawei’s phones are well known for their camera advancements. For instance, the Huawei P20 Pro had the first Leica triple camera. The company’s ability to innovate on this front has led them to their current powerful position. Unfortunately, though, the company saw a massive drop in it’s 2019-2020 growth, at an uncomfortable -24.1%.
-
2021 Sales: $60 billion
Based in Hong Kong and founded in 1984, Lenovo is an older company that still remains relevant in the smartphone industry today. The company employs over 63,000 employees and sells its products in at least 180 countries worldwide.
Today, Lenovo’s most popular phones include the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2, Lenovo Legion Pro, and Lenovo K12 Pro. The company has been known for producing Android and Motorola smartphones. However, Lenovo’s main market tends to be in laptops and other electronic devices.
-
Xiaomi
2021 Sales: $48.372 billion
One of the newer companies on this list, Xiaomi, released its first smartphone in 2011. Today, Xiaomi only employs roughly 18,000 employees worldwide, and yet, it is still the 4th most valuable technology start-up upon receiving $1.1 billion in funding from investors.
Though the company’s products aren’t popular in the U.S., they have markets including China, Singapore, Japan, India, South Korea, Russia, South Africa, and several EU countries.
Xiaomi’s most popular phones include the Redmi Note 10 Pro, Poco X3 Pro, and the Poco F3. The popularity of these phones has grown massively in recent years, with Xiaomi’s growth increasing by 15.7% from 2019-2020.
-
Oppo
2021 Sales: $37 billion
Established in 2004, Oppo is another major Chinese smartphone company. The company employs approximately 40,000 people and operates worldwide.
Oppo’s most popular phones include the Oppo K3, Oppo Reno 2F, and the Oppo F17. However, Oppo also produces a wide variety of other products as well, such as audio devices, power banks, Blu-ray players, and more.
Oppo has remained fairly stable in recent years, which is why Xiaomi has surpassed them. For example, Oppo saw a growth decrease of -5.8% from 2019-2020. While this number isn’t a death blow or anything, it also pales in comparison to Xiaomi’s growth rate.
-
ZTE
2021 Sales: $18.2 billion
ZTE is the last Chinese entry on this list, and also an older company, being founded in 1985. It’s also a public company, meaning that it’s operated by the Chinese Government. Currently, the company employs over 68,000 people and is one of the most popular phone producers in its home country.
Some of the company’s most popular phones include the Axon 11, Blade 2020, Axon 30 Ultra, ZTE Blade A7. These phones utilize an Android operating system and can sell for around $300 or more.
-
Vivo
2021 Sales: $8.458 billion
Yet another Chinese company to make our list, Vivo, was founded fairly recently in 2009. It’s an independent company that develops its products without excessive interference from the Chinese government.
Today, the company employs a mere 10,000 people but still operates worldwide with massive profits. However, this company mostly dominates Asian, Russian, and Middle Eastern markets.
Vivo’s most popular products include the Vivo Y72 5G: 3G, Dual Sim, 4G, and Octa-Core. These are fairly inexpensive phone options, translating to as little as $300.
Like many of the others on this list, Vivo phones operate on an Android system.
-
2021 Sales: $5.219 billion
Another South Korean powerhouse, LG, is the 4th largest family-run corporation in South Korea. The company employs over 222,000 employees, and operates in over 80 countries. LG phones are fairly popular in the U.S. as well, being found in stores just as frequently as Samsung and Apple devices.
LG’s most popular phones today include the LG V60 ThinQ 5G, LG G7 ThinQ, and the LG V40 ThinQ. As the name would suggest, these phones are known for their thinness, as well as their affordable pricing. Many of LG’s most popular brands sell for only $200-$400.
LG also has its own operating system, known as webOS. While this Linux kernel-based multitasking operating system is particularly useful in LG’s smart TVs, it’s been used as a mobile operating system.
-
2020 Sales: $15.1 million
While this French company is the only European smartphone company to make the list, its accomplishments are still noteworthy. Alcatel Lucent was founded in 2006 and merged with Nokia Networks in 2016. Currently, the company operates worldwide and sells a large variety of smartphones.
For example, some of Alcatel Lucent’s most popular phones include the Alcatel 3X, Alcatel 1S, and the Alcatel 1C. These phones are generally very affordable compared to most others on this list.
References:
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/top-smartphone-brands-2020/
- Electronics Brands
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
