The analytics company Counterpoint calculated that global shipments of smartphone chipsets in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 5% compared to the same period of 2020. SoCs with support for 5G networks accounted for almost half of total sales. MediaTek is the leader among manufacturers.
Research director Dale Gai said:
MediaTek led the smartphone SoC market with a 33% share. Volumes of its smartphone SoCs declined this quarter due to high shipments in the first half and inventory corrections by Chinese smartphone OEMs. Many customers had stockpiled chipsets to handle the uncertainties in the supply situation.
On the growth prospects, he added:
We expect revenue to grow in the first quarter of 2022 led by the flagship chipset (Dimensity 9000) for smartphones. Greater 5G penetration will offset the lower seasonal demand. The rise in chipset prices after TSMC’s wafer price hike is reflected from the fourth quarter of 2021 onwards. 5G migration in regions such as APAC, MEA and LATAM and continued demand for LTE will help MediaTek have a strong 2022.
MediaTek overturns Qualcomm and takes first place on the podium
Commenting on Qualcomm’s performance, the senior analyst Parv Sharma he has declared:
Qualcomm had a very good quarter, growing 18% quarterly and 33% year-on-year, despite the shortage of components and foundry capacity unable to keep up with demand. Qualcomm was able to prioritize high-end Snapdragon sales, which offer higher profitability and less impact from shortages than mid-range and low-end mobile phones. The company was also able to increase supplies from its key foundry partners with key dual-source products. It captured a 76% share in 5G baseband shipments led by Apple’s iPhone 13 and 12 series and premium Android wallet.
Commenting on the growth opportunities, Sharma he added:
Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform will begin shipping in Q1 2022. Performance in Q1 2022 will be driven by design wins in the Samsung Galaxy S22 series and launch on Chinese New Year. Overall, the next slowdown in growth will be in the second half of 2022 with the launch of 5G phones by major OEMs. Android’s revenue share is also growing as more OEMs are adopting Qualcomm’s modem-to-antenna RFFE solution across the board.
