Benefiting from mid-range products and the Chinese market, MediaTek's mobile phone chip share exceeds Qualcomm

      Early morning on December 25, according to data from third-party market research firm Counterpoint, in the third quarter of 2020, as smartphone sales rebounded in the third quarter, MediaTek became the largest smartphone chipset supplier with a 31% market share.

Global smartphone chipset market share in the third quarter of 2020 and the third quarter of 2019

　　Meanwhile, Qualcomm became the largest 5G chipset supplier in the third quarter of 2020. 39% of 5G phones sold worldwide use Qualcomm 5G chips. 39% of 5G phones sold worldwide use Qualcomm 5G chips.

　　Data shows that in the third quarter of this year, the demand for 5G smartphones doubled - 17% of smartphones sold in the third quarter of 2020 were 5G smartphones. With the launch of Apple's 5G mobile phone, Counterpoint believes that this growth momentum will continue. It is expected that one-third of smartphones shipped worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2020 will support 5G. Qualcomm still has a chance to regain the top spot in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Mobile phone chip supplier share by region in the third quarter of 2020 and the third quarter of 2019

　　Dale Gai, research director at Counterpoint, believes that there are two factors for MediaTek's market share growth. The first is that MediaTek has performed strongly in the mid-range smartphone market (US$100-250). The second is that MediaTek has grown rapidly in key regions such as China and India.

　　“On the other hand, Qualcomm also saw strong growth in its share of the high-end market in the third quarter of 2020 compared to a year ago, also thanks to HiSilicon’s supply issues. However, Qualcomm faces competition from MediaTek in the mid-range market. Dale Gai believes that both parties will continue to compete fiercely through aggressive pricing and bring 5G SoC products into the mainstream in 2021.”

　　Research analyst Ankit Malhotra said when talking about the development strategies of Qualcomm and MediaTek: Qualcomm and MediaTek have both readjusted their product portfolios, and consumer-centricity has played a key role. Last year, MediaTek launched a new gaming-based G series, and the Dimensity chipset helped to lower 5G prices. The world's cheapest 5G device, realme V3, is equipped with a MediaTek processor.