For years, Asia has been Samsung’s stronghold, with the South Korean smartphone giant holding the lion’s share of the market and staying way ahead of its biggest rival, Apple. And while Samsung still ships tens of millions of its smartphones across Asian countries, it’s now facing a troubling user loyalty problem in its biggest market, India, mirroring Huawei’s struggles in China, with a surprisingly high share of consumers ready to switch from both brands.
According to data presented by Jemlit.com, more than 60% of Chinese and Indian smartphone users, mostly Huawei and Samsung owners, plan to switch brands.
The Biggest Android Markets Are Also the Least Loyal
Once an early leader in China, Samsung has seen its market share plunge after months of strategic missteps, regulatory headwinds, and rising competition from domestic rivals and Apple. According to the Statista Consumer Insights survey, only 2% of smartphone users in the country now prefer Samsung, a devastating figure for a former market leader. Most Chinese smartphone owners have instead turned to Huawei, the top brand with a considerable 37% market share as of June. Apple follows second, with a 28% share among Chinese users.
In the world’s second-largest smartphone market, India, Samsung still holds a strong lead, with 28% of smartphone owners naming it as their top choice. Just like in China, Apple ranks second, but with a much smaller 13% market share. But despite holding the lion’s share of the two largest smartphone markets, Huawei and Samsung are both struggling with growing user loyalty problems, showing a wider shift in brand preferences and market trends.
According to a Statista survey, China, home to the largest base of Huawei owners, has a worrying 22% of smartphone users who are very likely to switch smartphone brands in the near future, with another 35% likely to do so. That’s 57% of dissatisfied customers, ready to give another brand a chance.
Samsung is facing the same problem in India, where a massive 68% of smartphone owners are likely or very likely to switch brands. The world’s two largest Android markets are also the least loyal, with only 14% of respondents in India and 25% in China sticking with their current smartphones.
iPhone-Dominated Markets Have the Most Loyal Users
Unlike China and India, where Huawei and Samsung obviously struggle to retain customers, Apple-dominated markets, like the United States and the United Kingdom, enjoy far more loyal user bases. In the U.S., 44% of consumers prefer iPhones, while in the U.K., the share is 47%, much more than any other brand, and most have no plans to switch.
After mastering premium innovation, including powerful chips, high-quality cameras, and continuous software updates, iPhone users became hooked on their devices. Also, the seamless integration within Apple’s ecosystem, featuring services like iCloud and the Apple Watch, makes switching even harder, and the Statista data proves this.
As of June, just 36% of Americans were likely or very likely to change a smartphone brand in the near future, nearly half the rate in India and 20% lower than in China. Britons proved even more loyal, with only 32% considering such a change.
