Samsung continued to anchor the premium segment across mature Asia Pacific markets in Q1, benefiting from consumers who were willing to pay for higher‑end devices despite rising component costs.
Samsung’s strong Galaxy S26 cycle and resilient A‑series helped it maintain leadership in Southeast Asia (SEA) with 4.6 million units shipped, while Apple held steady at 1.8 million units even as the region contracted by nine percent year-on-year, according to Omdia. In markets such as Australia, Singapore and South Korea, both brands continued to dominate upgrade cycles and carrier‑driven promotions.
However, Chinese vendors Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi all reduced shipments in SEA as they pulled back from low‑margin entry‑level models and raised prices to offset rising memory costs. Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi shipments fell by 27 percent, 17 percent and 12 percent respectively.
Two vendors, however, are moving against the tide. Through its Tecno, Infinix, and Itel brands, Transsion continued to expand its footprint in emerging markets, shipping 3.4 million units in SEA and strengthening its position in Indonesia and the Philippines. Honor delivered the strongest growth in the region, rising 28 percent year‑on‑year and gaining share in six of eight SEA markets. Its ascent to third place in Singapore underscores its growing appeal in the mid‑premium tier.
The region remains the most affected by the profitability‑first strategy. Average selling prices (ASPs) climbed 19 percent to a record US$349.
“The defining story of Q1 is ASPs reached an all-time high while volumes declined — and the two trends are closely linked. Memory cost inflation has raised device bill of materials across the board, particularly in the entry and mid tiers where DRAM and NAND account for a larger share of total component cost. In response, vendors have raised prices and, importantly, managed supply more tightly to prevent channels from reverting to legacy discount levels,” said Le Xuan Chiew, Research Manager of Omdia.
Entelechy Asia 