Original headline: iPhone 13 / Pro dominates premium market, new report shows Apple as the second most successful smartphone vendor in Q1 2022

Apple was the world's second most successful smartphone vendor in Q1 2022, according to new data. Apple also lags behind Samsung, the South Korean tech giant with 23.4 percent of the global market. Samsung became the largest and most successful smartphone vendor in Q1 2022.

Samsung and Apple are vying for the top spot in the smartphone business, according to a BanklessTimes report. Samsung sold 73 million iphones in the first quarter of 2022, while Apple came in second with 56 million iphones, with a market share of 18 percent.

Apple's iPhone sales grew 2.2 percent year over year, according to the report. Apple was also the only player in the smartphone industry to post positive growth, as the global smartphone market fell 8.9%.

China's Xiaomi (12.7 percent), OPPO (8.7 percent) and Vivo (8.1 percent) rounded out the top five smartphone vendors by sales.

It's worth thinking about how Apple can compete with brands selling a wider range of smartphones -- most of which are much cheaper than the iPhone. Another previous Counterpoint Research study showed That Apple became the global leader in premium smartphone market in Q1 2022.

"Sales growth in the ultra-premium segment is driven by Apple and Samsung. The iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro together accounted for more than two-thirds of sales in the ultra-premium price segment, driven by strong sales growth in the US, China and Western Europe. In The Chinese market, in Q1 2022, the sales of the price segment above $1,000 (about 6,700 YUAN) increased by 176% year-on-year. This segment alone accounted for more than a fifth of the value of Smartphone sales in China this quarter. Apple emerged as the biggest winner after Huawei's decline in the high-end handset market. "China's high-end handset market still has potential and will be driven by upgrades, especially from Huawei's large customer base."

We'll have to wait and see how apple's iPhone 13 will look in new colors when it reports its June quarter earnings on July 28, following the disappointing iPhone SE 3, as well as the release of four iPhone 14 models in September.