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On Android, MediaTek chips take precedence over Snapdragon

In the United States, the majority of smartphones are now equipped with MediaTek chips. They replace Snapdragons from the local Qualcomm representative.

Party to last, the shortage of semiconductors does not prevent Qualcomm and MediaTek from engaging in a fierce battle. Until a few years ago, the debate was cut short when it came to comparing Snapdragon chips to those of its Taiwanese counterpart. The situation has changed somewhat and if Qualcomm maintains a certain lead on the very high end, MediaTek is progressing quickly to the point of overtaking its Californian rival in the world. The world leader in chips for smartphones, the Taiwanese giant is moving upmarket with 5G and now wants to dethrone Qualcomm in high-end smartphones.

The Dimensity 9000 bears witness to this new ambition and the MWC 2022 enabled the company to assert its positions. With the announcement of the Dimensity 8100 and 8000, MediaTek is ready to stand up to the Snapdragon 888 and 870 on high-end Android devices. In the United States, MediaTek’s efforts are paying off, as evidenced by this new report published by IDC. Relayed by PCMagit indicates that MediaTek’s SoCs are now the majority of Android smartphones sold in the United States.

The Taiwanese founder is now number 1 in chips in the United States

In the fourth quarter of 2021, MediaTek held 51% of the US Android mobile market. Qualcomm was credited with a 47% market share while Samsung and “other” chips like Google Tensor captured the remaining 2%. The gap is not impressive between the two giants, but it confirms the strong progress of MediaTek. In addition, the Taiwanese company manages to overthrow Qualcomm on its own territory.

MediaTek Qualcomm USA 2021
© IDC

This takeover can be explained by the popularity of entry-level or mid-range models. Historically, devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A12 or Galaxy A32 5G have used affordable chips. An area in which MediaTek has specialized and the founder is experiencing rapid growth. At the start of 2021, its market share was 29% and Qualcomm was still a solid leader. It has progressed each quarter to allow MediaTek to rise to the top of the American market. In addition to the success of its Taiwanese competitor, Qualcomm must also deal with the popularity of Apple’s iPhone.

MediaTek continues its march forward

In the United States as in the rest of the world, MediaTek now wants to confirm by confronting Qualcomm in all areas. The firm plans to approach an American operator to grab market share (probably Verizon) and does not intend to limit itself to the entry or mid-range. On paper, the Dimensity 9000 compares favorably with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 while the Dimensity 8000s promise to blow up the $400-$700 mobile segment. For more affordable models, the firm also relies on the Dimensity 1300.

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