A large majority of people on the planet now own a smartphone, especially in developed countries. Many of us depend on our smartphones for many different activities. They're no longer just devices for making calls and sending messages. They host all our social networking apps, banking apps, gaming apps and much more. They are complex computers that fit in the palm of your hand. In New Zealand, for example, it's estimated that over 92% of the population owns a smartphone, and the figure is similar in France at 95%.
Even compared to other developed, Western nations, this is a very high penetration, showing that the country is highly advanced and technophile. A large part of the country also likes to gamble online, and in particular what is always in demand is a review of the top casinos by iGaming fans in the country.
A lucrative market
And it's thanks to this high penetration of smartphones among the New Zealand population that the country has become a popular target for smartphone companies. And of course, we all know who the two big players in the smartphone industry are, but is this the case in New Zealand? Well, last year's reports showed that indeed, Samsung and Apple were the two big players in the market. Samsung held 46% of the market, followed by Apple in second place with 36%.
Then there's OPPO in last place on the podium with almost 7%. Samsung has the largest market share worldwide, mainly due to the fact that the Android operating system offers users much greater freedom. And in New Zealand, they also make sure they have the best equipment, wireless and wired technology, including laptops with the latest drivers.
Who is One NZ?
Next, you have a manufacturer called One NZ. It's not quite a manufacturer, but it's worth mentioning today, as it gives us an idea of the smartphone sector in the country. Put simply, it's the country's largest telecommunications company. It was formerly known as Vodafone New Zealand until last year, and after 25 years, it rebranded itself as One NZ. There were several reasons behind the name change, one of them being that the savings the company could make on licenses could be as much as $30 million, which really appealed to shareholders, while causing no disruption to customers.
What is the network technology?
When it comes to mobile technology in the country, New Zealand is just as up to date despite its island's remoteness from the rest of the world. Just as in France, they have 5G wireless technology throughout the country, operated in particular by One NZ.
What are the most popular smartphones?
When it comes to the most popular smartphones in the country, we can see that it's split between Samsung and Apple. More of the country prefers to opt for Samsung and the Android operating system rather than Apple and its iOS. But what's interesting is that Oppo also has a reasonably large market share for this Chinese smartphone manufacturer, which has been around since 2004. They started out making MP3 players before expanding rapidly, and in 2016 became the largest smartphone manufacturer in their home country of China.
How is growth shaping up?
Despite the popularity of smartphones around the world, growth actually slowed last year, but shipments in the country have nevertheless risen by 10% this year. This growth is due to the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro range has proved much more popular than the 14 range among those who love Apple phones in New Zealand. So it will be interesting to see what the hype will be around the release of the iPhone 16 range to see if it capitalizes on this growth, or if it will send more people to Samsung or Oppo, giving them an even bigger market share.
In a nutshell
You've had a little insight into New Zealand's smartphone industry and how quickly it's developing. Likewise, on consumer behavior and what's popular among the country's citizens. Although it's a small island with a small population, it's a country that loves technology and welcomes the implementation of changes and transformations brought about by technology that can help improve the standard of living and communication between its citizens and the country's businesses.
