Samsung’s mobile AP shipments reached 19.1 million units in 2023Q1

Last year, the Exynos 2200, which adopted AMD’s graphics technology, was highly anticipated but ultimately faced performance issues in the Galaxy S22 series that utilized the SoC, forcing Samsung to pause Exynos chip usage in the Galaxy S23 lineup. In fact, for the past several years, Exynos chips have been underperforming in the mobile application processor (AP) domain, overshadowed by Qualcomm and MediaTek, leading to a diminishing market share.

According to a Business Korea report, recent data from market research firm Strategy Analytics reveals that Samsung’s mobile AP shipments reached 19.1 million units in the first quarter of 2023, a year-on-year increase of 15%. Given that the flagship Galaxy S23 series does not feature Exynos chips and considering the sluggish consumer market demand over the past few months, resulting in a substantial decline in smartphone shipments, Samsung’s performance is commendable.

As for other manufacturers, MediaTek, which performed exceptionally well in the past two years, saw its shipments reach 104.4 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 31%. Qualcomm’s shipments amounted to 85.2 million units, a year-on-year decline of 3%, while Apple’s shipments reached 45.9 million units, a year-on-year drop of 6%. It is evident that major competitors are experiencing a downward trend.

Industry insiders attribute Samsung‘s impressive performance to its mid-to-low-end Galaxy models, including the Galaxy A53, A33, and M33, which feature the Exynos 1280 released by Samsung last year. In the first quarter of this year, the Galaxy A54 and A34 were equipped with the Exynos 1380 and Exynos 1330, respectively. Furthermore, Samsung’s Exynos 850, released in 2021, was utilized in eight models, including the Galaxy A13.

Strategy Analytics forecasts that shipments of Exynos 1380 and Exynos 1330 will continue to rise, with Samsung’s mobile AP shipments maintaining their growth momentum in the second quarter, increasing to 20.8 million units, a year-on-year growth of 19%. Concurrently, MediaTek’s shipments in the second quarter are projected to decrease by 18% year-on-year, Apple’s by 4%, while Qualcomm is expected to experience a slight year-on-year increase of 1%.