Mobile processor chip maker MediaTek has always been underestimated by giant Qualcomm. Especially in the high-end processor segment, Qualcomm's Snapdragon line of chips is always appreciated and chosen by smartphone manufacturers, instead of MediaTek's Dimensity chip line.
But surprisingly, IDC reported that MediaTek captured about 48% of the market share of processor chips for Android smartphones, while giant Qualcomm was only 44%, in the US market in Q4/2021. This is the first time that MediaTek has been able to topple Qualcomm's throne.
IDC's smartphone research director Anthony Scarsella pointed to two factors that helped MediaTek surpass Qualcomm. First, MediaTek won a contract to supply chips for three best-selling smartphones, namely Samsung Galaxy A12 and A32 and Motorola G Pure.
The second reason is because Google has kicked Qualcomm and not using Snapdragon chips for Pixel 6 smartphones, instead using Tensor processors that are designed and manufactured in-house. Mr. Anthony Scarsella said that for this reason, Qualcomm has lost a large part of the market, without Google, MediaTek would not have been able to surpass Qualcomm.
Qualcomm has also just launched the latest high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. However, this processor chip has received a lot of negative reviews about the problem of overheating, causing the smartphone's performance to be reduced when used for a long time continuously. Meanwhile, MediaTek continues to attack the flagship and high-end processor line, increasingly threatening Qualcomm.