Apple European Sales Grow Thanks to iPhone SE 5G

The European smartphone sales declined 11 percent in the second quarter of the year as compared to the same quarter a year ago, and Counterpoint Research explains that one of the reasons is the “deteriorating economic climate and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.”

In terms of sales, Samsung continues to be the number one phone brand in Europe with 13 million sold phones during the quarter. This is a decline from 17.5 million sold units in the fourth quarter of 2021, and Counterpoint says one of the reasons it’s seeing a decline is Samsung’s withdrawal from Russia.

Apple is currently the runner-up in the charts with 9.6 million sold iPhones, but the Cupertino-based tech giant is also seeing a decline following its withdrawal from Russia as well.

However, Counterpoint says the most notable performance in the case of Apple comes down to the iPhone SE 5G, which has been selling particularly well in Europe since launch.

Xiaomi is third in the charts, followed by Oppo, realme, and other brands.

“Samsung remained Europe’s number one vendor and grew both shipments and market share over the year, but this was mostly thanks to Q2 2021 being Samsung’s lowest European shipments total in over a decade due to factory shutdowns in Vietnam. Compared to Q1 2022 though, Samsung’s European shipments dropped by almost a quarter due to its withdrawal from Russia,” Counterpoint explains.

“Apple also grew both shipments and market share year-on-year in Europe – largely due to the launch of the 5G-enabled iPhone SE – but it declined drastically quarter-on-quarter for the same reason as Samsung.”

Xiaomi, on the other hand, experienced a decline from Q2 2021, and this isn’t necessarily surprising given this was its best quarter in Europe ever. However, the company is benefitting from Samsung’s and Apple’s withdrawal from Russia, Counterpoint says.