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| European smartphone that received the most global attention ever after the iPhone |
Europe has always been at the fore in the global telephony equipment industry; Nokia phones are the most popular mobile phones in the world while Sony Ericsson devices are very popular among users and people are talking about Siemens.
Those diaries, those days when the company once swept the landscape and took a few more years to fall, were folded in many ways, unless we could turn it into a smart device, with our stupid old phones plugged in, and they had the same touchscreen as they do today .
Nokia, Sony, Ericsson and Siemens Mobility collapsed and Europe's dominance in the world of smartphones disappeared, replaced by global companies such as Apple and Samsung that dominated the European smartphone market. Statistics show that Apple owns 34.29% of the smartphone market in continental Europe, followed by Samsung with a market share of 31.21%, and there are other Chinese brands that have different shares in the European market, namely: Xiaomi (13.97%), Huawei (7.57%) ). ) and Oppo (2.4%).
The smartphone market in Europe is currently dominated by two continents: North America and Asia. But to be perfectly accurate, it seems that Apple and Asia dominate the smartphone market in continental Europe.
This begs the question: Why isn't there a dominant smartphone in Europe? How can Europe regain its glory and leadership in the smartphone industry? Will we see him again? Does Europe matter?
According to Jay Strejak, deputy director of research firm Counterpoint, it is nearly impossible for Europe to re-establish itself as a global leader in the smartphone industry as it has no place in the market under the dominance of "Apple and Samsung". And intense competition from Chinese companies.
After extensive research we found that there are two types of activities of premium European brands in the European market: Fairphone, Noting and Nokia, which cannot be considered a European company after its acquisition by HMD Global in 2016.
Verfone is an innovative company in the European market
Perhaps the brand name indicates that the German company is trying to make mobile devices as durable and environmentally friendly as possible, repairable and modernized.
This shows its latest device, the Verfone 4, made with ethical and recycled materials. The company offers a five-year warranty, which is a rarity these days.
The key to market success is a clear vision and a strong focus on the problems we try to solve and the customers we sell to, said Huaian Wang, Verfone's vice president of production operations. However, this is not all the brand needs to succeed in this market. Although Verfon's performance is impressive, he is still a small player worldwide. The company has sold 450,000 phones since its inception in 2013, compared to 217 million for Apple in 2018.
The reason why there are no European companies to compete with Apple and Asian companies has to do with consumer behavior based on value for money. Huang said that most consumers want to pay $600 and get the best phone in terms of specs and design. Chinese companies in particular, which hold the largest share of global electronics production, benefit from this consumer behavior; This allows companies to offer products at lower prices, making other companies in the rest of the world, especially in Europe, uncompetitive.
Apple is an exception to this rule in the West, but this is also due to its business model, marketing and ability to control its supply chain. This is a combination of factors that is almost impossible to present in Europe today.
Therefore, it is difficult for a European company that is focused on solving a particular problem and entering new narrow markets to be competitive internationally.
nothing. . Is there a hope?
Another European company has a chance to put the continent back on the map; It was founded by Carl B. Building on the fame of OnePlus, the London-based company has caused a stir among technologists with its innovative products, headphones and phones.
According to Strijk, the company has gotten the most attention and caused more fanfare than any other brand outside of Apple.
The problem, Strejak says, is that it only provides the hardware to a small group of technologists, and he says that even at OnePlus' heyday, the company's European market share was just over half, around 4%.
Asked if the company has the potential to become a dominant player in the smartphone market, Strejak said that Noting's current approach is highly specialized and targets a narrow segment of the market, allowing it to attract tech-savvy customers and users and compete with technologically advanced companies. Like Apple, its product is not just a phone, it meets the needs of all market segments. Therefore, nothing can get a good market share, but it will not be the dominant player.
European smartphones are unlikely to dominate global sales
One of the main reasons for Europe losing its position in the mobile market is the mismatch between what consumers want and what companies like Nokia and Siemens offer. European companies simply cannot compete with the value that Chinese companies offer, or with the technological advances and marketing savvy of Apple and Samsung.
Strejak said the European market needed a smartphone miracle to dominate the industry globally. He added that it is unlikely that major companies and Chinese companies will lose their leadership and superiority over their European counterparts. The amount of investment required to keep up with these companies over the long term would be staggering and potentially ineffective. European smartphone makers have the potential to succeed, but they need to find and cater to a niche rather than fight a specs and price war they can't win.
The importance of owning a smartphone is important for the European market
According to Strijk, it doesn't matter that the European market has a smartphone that is important from a brand perspective, but it hurts Europe in terms of control and influence.
However, there is a very important part here, which is that European companies cannot do what will force them to use China, for the reasons I mentioned earlier, and that is the problem with Europe, like many other parts of Europe. Globalism. Let us not forget what we learned from Corona, when supply and shipping chains were affected, and there was a shortage of microchips, which also affected the economy of the continent, as well as its image and global position.
There have been many initiatives, decisions and laws in favor of the chip industry in Europe, and there are many others. Certainly, Europe's acquisition of a globally dominant smartphone is closely linked to the continent's ability to produce domestically at the same cost as China, which many believe is currently out of reach.
It's certainly unlikely that a European company will once again make a phone that dominates global sales as it once did, but that doesn't mean the continent is completely out of the phone race. Instead, it is now part of a global technology ecosystem that relies on cooperation between countries to drive the industry forward.
It's also possible that European manufacturers could continue their success by offering niche products to specific customer groups, rather than making the kind of global Apple devices. There is nothing wrong with that.