MediaTek overtook SoC rivals, Samsung Exynos slipped to 5th spot: Report

According to the latest report from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor Service, the global smartphone AP (application processor)/ and SoC (system on chip) shipments increased by 6% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2021. The smartphone SoC shipments have almost doubled compared to the same period last year.

As per the report, MediaTek becomes the leading smartphone SoC market with a 40% share, driving competition with high demand for 5G SoCs and 4G SoCs. MediaTek’s revenue has been steadily rising with the growth of a mix of mid-and high-end SoC portfolios.

When MediaTek surpassed Qualcomm in 2020 to become the largest smartphone chipset vendor, it occupied 31% of the smartphone SoC market. One year later, the Taiwanese firm not just retained that position but remarkably grew its lead over Qualcomm.

Talking about Samsung, the Exynos market fell to fifth place with a 5% share, as it was in the midst of revamping the smartphone portfolio strategy of outsourcing and outsourcing to Chinese ODMs. However, it was its biggest success with Samsung to provide chipsets for some of its entry-level A series devices.

Hence, MediaTek and Qualcomm have a growing share in Samsung’s smartphone portfolio, from mid-range 4G and 5G models to flagship models manufactured by ODMs. The surprising entry on this year’s list is Chinese chipset maker Unisoc, which now holds 10% of the market – compared to just 4% a year ago.

With the rapid expansion of 5G networks worldwide, MediaTek seems to be in a better position from a growth perspective than Qualcomm. However, given the speed at which this segment is growing, if MediaTek implements its 5G well, this could pose a substantial threat to Qualcomm’s domination in the coming days.