Global smartphone apps chip market grows by 26% this quarter, hits all-time high of $8.9 billion

The global smartphone applications processor (AP) market grew 26 per cent to reach $8.9 billion in the second quarter (Q2) this year.

According to Strategy Analytics, Qualcomm maintained its lead in the smartphone AP market with a 40 per cent revenue share, followed by MediaTek with 26 per cent and Apple with 25.5 per cent.

5G-attached AP shipments accounted for 55 per cent of total smartphone APs shipped in Q2 2022.

TSMC manufactured over 80 per cent of smartphone APs shipped in Q2 2022.

Samsung Foundry's key customer Qualcomm shifted orders to TSMC in the recent quarters.

"Qualcomm's smartphone apps processor (AP) revenue grew 41 per cent despite a 23 per cent shipment decline. Qualcomm's momentum in premium-tier Android APs helped," said Sravan Kundojjala, Director of Handset Component Technologies service at Strategy Analytics.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 design win fueled Qualcomm's AP average selling prices (ASPs) to an all-time high.

"Despite traction in the premium tier, Qualcomm will likely face inventory correction headwinds in 2H 2022. Samsung LSI' Exynos smartphone AP shipments declined 46 percent year-on-year but showed signs of recovery with traction in mid-range," said Kundojjala.

MediaTek posted its all-time high quarterly AP revenue in Q2 2022, driven by a high mix of high-end and premium tier Dimensity 5G APs.

The company, however, will see a decline in its AP shipments and revenues in the second half of 2022 "due to continued Android weakness in China".

Unisoc, on the other hand, posted a 26 per cent shipment growth in Q2 2022, thanks to continued traction in tier-one 4G smartphones," Kundojjala said.