The global smartphone application processor market in 2021 was valued at US$15.95 billion. The market is expected to reach US$29.14 billion by 2027. A smartphone application processor is a system that contains a chip which assists the smartphones operating system. The performance of the smartphone is at the optimal level with the use of an application processor. Smartphone experience of the customers is increasing due to the use of advanced processors.
Technological advancements make processors better for smartphones. The key players are launching premium processors that come with high-end features such as the launch of the Octa-core processor. Therefore, technological advancements and rapid innovations are expected to expand the demand for smartphone application processors in the forthcoming years. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approx. 10.6% during the forecasted period of 2022-2027.
Market Segmentation Analysis:
- By Operating System: The report provides the bifurcation of the market into three segments based on the operating system: Android, iOS, and Others. In 2021, android held a major share of 71.4% in the market. On the other hand, the iOS segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the forthcoming years on account of growing popularity of iPhone devices and rising demand for Apple smartphones by young generation across the world.
- By Application: The report further provides the segmentation based on the application: Camera, Gaming, Photo & Video Editing, and Others. The camera held the highest share of more than 35% in the market. The market's expansion is aided by the growing demand for advanced features from growing base of tech-savvy consumers such as enhanced camera functionality, high end graphics, long battery life, etc.
- By Region: The report provides insight into the smartphone application processor market based on the regions namely North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World. North America held the major share of above 38% in the market owing to rise in the adoption of smartphones, advancements in technological to sustain the consumer demand for smartphones and the presence of leading manufacturers of smartphones in the region.
In Asia Pacific, China held almost 52% share in the market owing to the rise in spending, consistent advancement in smartphone technology and growing emphasis on powerful processors. Whereas, in Europe, Germany is expected to be the fastest growing region in the forecasted period.
Market Dynamics:
- Growth Drivers: The global smartphone application processor market has been growing over the past few years, due to factors such as increasing number of smartphone users, rise in consumer spending, mounting penetration of internet, rapid urbanization, and many other factors. With rapid urbanization and a rise in consumer spending, it is observed that both individuals are rapidly becoming tech savvy and are preferring to buy smartphones with advanced features, which is leading to rising demand for smartphone application processors. Thus, rapid urbanization and a rise in consumer spending have positively contributed to the market growth.
- Challenges: However, the market has been confronted with some challenges specifically, high cost associated with development and operations, performance and heating related problems, constantly changing requirements of the processors, etc.
- Trends: The market is projected to grow at a fast pace during the forecast period, due to various latest trends such as growing execution of artificial intelligence in smartphones, accelerating adoption of 5G technology, technological advancements and rapid innovations, etc. The smartphone manufacturers are increasingly deploying the 5G processors to serve the increasing demand and changing customer preferences. Moreover, the intensive utilization of IoT devices, increasing utilization in automated factories, the higher number of streaming content are expected to present lucrative opportunities for the overall demand growth of the 5G processor in coming years. Hence, with accelerating adoption of 5G technology, the demand for 5G attached application processor is increasing, thus booting the overall market growth.
Impact Analysis of COVID-19 and Way Forward:
In 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 weakened the demand of smartphones due to halted production activities, and as people started budgeting and shopped less during the pandemic phase. This decline in smartphone production directly affected the demand of application processors as a smartphone processor is a central hub of the smartphone and is directly responsible for the performance of the device. However, after the relaxation of the lockdown, the industry responded positively to the crisis. The technological innovations have also helped smartphone application processor retailers to align with safety regulations in stores.
Competitive Landscape:
The global smartphone application processor market is concentrated, with few players occupying the majority of shares in the market.
The key players in the global smartphone application processor market are:
- Qualcomm Inc.
- MediaTek Inc.
- Apple Inc.
- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Lenovo Group Limited
- Intel Corporation
- Nvidia Corporation
- Broadcom Inc.
- Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
- Renesas Electronics Corporation
- Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Unisoc Technology Co., Ltd.
Some of the strategies among key players in the market for smartphone application processors are product launches, rapid innovations, acquisitions and collaborations. For instance, in April 2022, Samsung has introduced the Exynos 1280 SoC, a 5G mobile processor that powers some of the company’s most recent mid-range smartphones, including the Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy M33 5G. Whereas, in February 2021, QUALCOMM, one of the major chipmakers in the market, announced the launch of its Snapdragon X65 5G Modem to antenna solution, with support of around 10Gbps speeds on both non-standalone and standalone 5G networks.
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
Companies Mentioned
- Qualcomm Inc.
- MediaTek Inc.
- Apple Inc.
- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
- Lenovo Group Limited
- Intel Corporation
- Nvidia Corporation
- Broadcom Inc.
- Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
- Renesas Electronics Corporation
- Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Unisoc Technology Co., Ltd.
