Global Top 5 Aps
Samsung Electronics dramatically boosted its share in the global smartphone application processor (AP) market, entering the top five in the rankings. The company already ranked top in the global DRAM and NAND Flash markets but showed relatively weak sales in the smartphone AP market.
The global smartphone AP market declined 4 percent year-over-year to reach US$20.1 billion (25 trillion won) in 2015, according to a report from market research firm Strategy Analytics on Feb. 28.
Qualcomm's market share reached 42 percent, maintaining its top spot. Apple and MediaTek ranked number two and three with 21 percent and 19 percent shares, respectively. Samsung LSI came in fourth and Spreadtrum in fifth. Apple doesn’t directly manufacture its smartphone AP. It gives its design to Taiwan’s TSMC and entrust with the production.
Strategy Analytics said, “Qualcomm, the leader of the global smartphone AP market, now faced strong competition from Samsung LSI, which is vertically integrated from the semiconductor division to the smartphone division.”
According to DRAMeXchange, the shipments of Exynos chips, a smartphone AP which were developed by Samsung’s own technology, reached around 50 million units last year. Samsung Electronics shipped over 300 million smartphones and the share of Samsung smartphones carrying in-house APs was about 15 percent. Exynos chips, which have an octa-core model, are the product that basically targets the premium smartphones, and they were only used in Samsung’s flagship models, such as the Galaxy S6 and Note 5, last year.