MediaTek ships the most smartphone AP in Q3
US sanctions against Huawei increases Xiaomi's AP purchase
Taiwan’s MediaTek shipped the most number of smartphone application processors in the third quarter of 2020, according to market research firm CounterPoint.
MediaTek controlled 31% market share in terms of shipment, an increase of 5% from the same time period a year ago.
CounterPoint said sales of low-end smartphones in the US$100 to US$250 price range led this growth. US sanction against Huawei also helped the company as companies like Xiaomi increased its market share. Xiaomi bought three times the number of APs from MediaTek in the third quarter, CounterPoint said.
Qualcomm had a market share of 29%, down 2% from a year ago. However, the US chip giant had a 39% market share in 5G smartphone. CounterPoint said Qualcomm will likely retain its No.1 position in the fourth quarter thanks to increased demand in 5G chip-set.
A third of smartphones launching in the fourth quarter will support 5G, CounterPoint said. Apple is also selling iPhone 12 which supports 5G.
Samsung, HiSilicon and Apple all had a market share of 12% in the quarter.