Motorola became the third-largest smartphone brand in the US in 2021 by capturing around 10 percent of the total market, as per a report by a market research firm. iPhone maker Apple enjoyed the lion's share of the US market with 58 percent market share, while Samsung secured the second spot with 22 percent market share. The Lenovo-owned smartphone brand has ed a 131 percent year-over-year (YoY) growth in smartphone shipments in 2021. It secured the second spot in smartphones below $400 (roughly Rs.) in the US. Also, the year marked the first time Motorola has entered the top-three positions in the US smartphone market.
Samsung in the second spot with a 22 percent market share. Both Apple and Samsung continued to be the top sellers in the segment, while Motorola ranked second in the $400 (roughly Rs. 30,300) and below price segment in the US.
Back in 2008, during the era of feature phones, Motorola was the largest handset OEM in the US. However, this is the first time the company has made it to the top three in the US smartphone segment.
The expected departure of announced the withdrawal of its non-profitable mobile division after suffering losses for nearly six years that totalled $4.5 billion (roughly Rs. 33,010 crore). As per the report, Motorola filled that void left by LG by becoming the third largest smartphone OEM stateside.
The Counterpoint report also attributes Motorola's success to its sub-$300 (roughly Rs. 22,700) portfolio that includes smartphones like Moto G Pure.
According to Counterpoint, Motorola expanded its market share in US prepaid channels like Verizon Prepaid and Metro by T-Mobile to 28 percent. The market research firm also expects more growth for the company in the coming years. The US subscriber base transitions to 5G and a surge of affordable foldable phones is expected to fuel Motorola's growth.