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Samsung retakes 10% of Japan’s smartphone market: report
Samsung Electronics took 10% of Japan’s smartphone market by sales volume last year, up from 6% the year before. It returned to double digits for the first time in three years, according to Counterpoint Research.
Its share rose from 7% in Q1 to 12% in Q2 and 13% in Q3, driven by premium Galaxy models. It also benefits from wider online sales beyond telecom carriers and more affordable A-series devices.
Foldable launches in the second half also supported sales, while Apple remained dominant in Japan with a 57% annual market share in a market long seen as difficult for foreign Android brands.
🔗 Source: Chosun Daily
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Implications, context, and why it matters.
Samsung is rebounding in Japan’s smartphone market
- In 2024, Samsung held 6% of Japan’s smartphone market, tied for fourth with Sony and Xiaomi, behind Apple, Sharp, and Google 1.
- That year, Samsung sales fell 9%, while Sharp rose 17% and Xiaomi jumped 129% 1.
- By Q2 2025, Samsung reached 10% market share after shipments climbed 60% year on year 2.
- The Q2 2025 result moved Samsung ahead of Sharp and close to Google in Japan for the quarter 2.
How Samsung gained traction in one of Apple’s strongest markets
- Samsung led the global smartphone market with 20.4% share in Q1 2025, yet Japan has long lagged as the “tomb of Korean smartphones” due to strong iPhone preference 3, 2.
- Counterpoint links the Q2 2025 pickup to Galaxy S25 and Galaxy A25 demand, tighter carrier ties, plus heavy TV and digital ads 2.
- The same mix may help Android brands in places where Apple stays hard to unseat 2.
Recent Samsung Electronics developments
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