MediaTek has once again increased its leadership over Qualcomm in the global mobile device processor market. In fact, their SoC (system on chip) have increased in popularity, which now translates into global sales volume.
According to data released Tuesday (7) by market analytics agency Counterpoint Research, MediaTek’s lead over Qualcomm essentially doubled between quarters. Currently MediaTek has a 43% market share.
MediaTek increases its advantage over Qualcomm again
MediaTek has been in the headlines with its gradual growth over the last year, when, for example, it became the largest manufacturer in 2020 by measuring the volume of chips sold. Meanwhile, this trend continued to occur.
What happens now with the new report from the Counterpoint investigation coming to attest to the exponential growth of MediaTek. So far from being a fluke, the new record achieved by the Taiwan-based manufacturer is, yes, the result of its strategy.
Specializing in mid-range, entry-level processors, and some high-end offerings, all at competitive prices. In short, it was the price coupled with the quality of the products that led more and more manufacturers of mobile devices to opt for their solutions. Now, with the second quarter results, the Taiwanese company has reason to celebrate.
MediaTek has a 43% market share, Qualcomm has 24%

The American colossus Qualcomm continues to lose ground to the Asian MediaTek. In fact, the same can be said of practically the rest of the competitors with the exception of Apple and UNISOC that maintained and / or increased their market share, respectively, during the second quarter of 2021.
More specifically, MediaTek found a market share of 43% in the second quarter of 2021. In the previous quarter, the Taiwanese manufacturer recorded 35%. Meanwhile, the North American Qualcomm has already registered 24%, compared to 29% registered in the first quarter of 2021.
As far as he is concerned, Apple remains stable in third place with 14% market share thanks to its chips for iPhone, iPad and iMac. In fourth place, UNISOC also grew from 4% to 9% this last quarter.
In fifth place is Samsung currently with 7% market share, below 12%. Finally, we have Huawei’s HiSilicon, which shrinks sharply from 16% to a residual value. 3% market share.
MediaTek’s success is due to the growing popularity of 5G smartphones

Counterpoint claims that among the factors justifying MediaTek’s growth is its commitment to the entry-level and mid-range segment. The tech company developed several affordable and / or competitively priced processors that have since been massively adopted by manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo, as well as the leader Samsung.
It was, therefore, this bet focused on the most popular segment of the market, good and cheap phones, that now places MediaTek comfortably above Qualcomm. On the other hand, Qualcomm focuses mainly on the segment cousin and high-end.
Additionally, Qualcomm’s performance will have been affected by the current shortage of components and chips, while MediaTek has somehow managed to better address these restrictions.
The bet on 5G is in both Qualcomm and MediaTek
Qualcomm currently has the largest number of 5G processors on the market (SoC with 5G modems). More specifically, 55% in North American technology and 30% in MediaTek, with both manufacturers increasing their market share.
MediaTek has always excelled at the cheapest processors. However, its reputation in the market could not match that of Qualcomm, something that has gradually changed with the last generations of Helio chips, for example.
On the other hand, the Taiwanese manufacturer stated that its plans include a strong commitment to the segment cousin. Something that should be presented to the public in early 2022.