Apple maintains second-place spot in Europe smartphone market in 2021

The Cupertino tech giant held a 23% share of the European market throughout 2021, according to new data from Strategy Analytics. Apple's iPhone saw 11% year-over-year growth, allowing its market share to remain relatively steady from the year prior.

Samsung, currently the market leader in Europe, maintained its top spot with 29% of the market. However, Samsung declined 1% year-over-year in 2021 — the only smartphone brand in the top five to see growth decelerate.

Xiaomi came in third place with a 20% market share and 33% year-over-year growth. Oppo was fourth with 5% of the market share and 77%. India-based manufacturer Realme broke into the top five for the first time with incredible 548% growth, though it only held a 3% share of the market by the end of 2021.

The entire smartphone market in Europe grew 3% year-over-year in 2021, Strategy Analytics found.

Apple no longer reports individual product shipments, so reports like these are based on estimates. However, Apple reported record-breaking December quarter revenue of $71.6 billion for its iPhone, largely driven by the success of iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro models.