Apple may have been late to introduce 5G to the iPhone, but Strategy Analytics claims that during the third quarter of this year, the Cupertino-based company had a 25 percent share in the global 5G smartphone market. It also sold more 5G smartphones than any other brand during the period.

The report claims that just like this time last year, the iPhone is the best-selling 5G phone in the world based on the number of units shipped. Xiaomi is second on the list, while Samsung came in third place and Oppo and Vivo were fourth and fifth.

Ville Petteri-Ukonaho, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics, said that Samsung dethroned Oppo to become the second-leading Android 5G smartphone vendor in Q3 2021.

“Samsung edged ahead of Oppo to become the second leading Android 5G smartphone vendor globally in Q3 2021. Samsung has returned to positive territory following three prior quarters of negative sequential shipment growth. Samsung is benefiting from healthy demand across multiple regions for its smartphones, powered by a broad portfolio of devices across multiple price tiers. The combination of leading technology such as foldable display smartphones and multiple 5G devices have made Samsung products, such as its premium Galaxy Z Flip 3, the S21 Ultra, and its affordable A-series, the second-most popular brand of Android 5G smartphones globally in Q3 2021.”

Another remarkable aspect highlighted in the report is Honor’s growth. Its sales recorded a sequential quarter-over-quarter growth of 194 percent. The company’s Honor 50 5G, 50 SE 5G, and 50 Pro 5G models sold the most in Q3 2021.

Honor used to be a Huawei sub-brand but parted ways when the US restricted its parent company’s business with American entities such as Google, limiting its access to Android and core technologies. This means that Honor is not subject to these restrictions and can grow rapidly.

What would you attribute Apple’s dominance to? Tell us in the comments below.