Samsung Electronics sees Q1 mobile AP shipments rise 15%

Samsung Electronics Co. Exynos [Photo provided by Samsung Electronics]

Samsung Electronics Co. was the only company to show an increase in shipments of mobile application processors in the first quarter this year as other makers are struggling due to sluggish demand for smartphones, data showed Thursday.

According to market analysis firm Strategy Analytics, mobile AP shipments of Samsung Electronics’ System LSI business reached 19.1 million units in the first quarter of this year, up 15 percent from 16.3 million units during the same period last year. Mobile APs are essential components that serve as the brains of smartphones and tablets.

Shipments of Taiwan’s MediaTek, which has the largest share in the global AP market, meanwhile, plunged 31 percent to 104.4 million units from 136.6 million units. MediaTek‘s products are mainly used in Chinese low-end smartphone brands.

Shipments of Qualcomm Inc., a major mobile AP maker, product also fell by 3 percent to 85.2 million units from 87.8 million units, and those of Apple Inc. declined by 6 percent to 45.9 million units from 48.5 million units. Shipments of China’s UNISOC/Ziguang Zhan Rui also plummeted by 74 percent.

The main reason behind Samsung’s good performance is that Exynos 1280, which the tech giant released in April last year, was installed in more affordable Galaxy smartphone series, such as A53, A33, and M33. Samsung’s mobile AP market share is still lower than that of MediaTek, Qualcomm and Apple, but the company appears to be enhancing its presence by strengthening its budget phone lineup.

Galaxy A13 [Photo provided by Samsung Electronics]

The Galaxy A53 was the 11th best-selling smartphone in the world last year. Exynos 850, which Samsung released in 2021, is also supporting the increase in Samsung’s AP shipments. It has been installed in eight smartphones so far, including the Galaxy A13, which was the world’s second best-selling smartphone last year, according to market research firm Omdia.

Strategy Analytics predicted that Samsung Electronics would see the highest growth in mobile AP shipments in the industry in the second quarter as well. The company’ second quarter shipments are expected to reach 20.8 million units, a 19 percent increase from 16.9 million units during the same period last year, exceeding the first-quarter shipment growth. On the other hand, MediaTek and UNISOC’s second quarter shipments are expected to fall by 18 percent and 40 percent, respectively, Apple is also expected to see a 4 percent decline in shipments. Qualcomm’s shipments are expected to increase 1 percent year-on-year.

Strategy Analytics attributed Samgsung’s continued good performance in the second quarter to its new budget mobile AP lineup released in the first quarter, Exynos 1380 and 1330. Exynos 1380 will be installed in the Galaxy A54 and Exynos 1330 in the A14, and the number of smartphones equipped with these mobile APs is expected to increase steadily.