We previously wrote that there’s no reason to hate MediaTek in 2023, and there’s another solid reason for that. Counterpoint recently released its report on Global Chip Shipments for Q4 2023, and MediaTek remains on top for the fifth consecutive quarter with 36% of the market share.

Qualcomm remains to be in second place with a market share of 23%, while Apple is in third place with 20% of the market share.

Looking through the data, MediaTek’s continued dominance is due to its “inventory restocking” by smartphone OEMs, where several phone brands have been outfitting their latest releases with chips from MediaTek. Some of the popular MediaTek chips include the Helio G99 for 4G-only phones, Dimensity 6080 for entry-level 5G phones, and Dimensity 8200 for mid-range phones. Aside from these popular processors, phone brands also utilized some of MediaTek’s rebranded processors. Good examples of this include the Dimensity 7050, which is the new name for the popular Dimensity 1080.

While it’s no secret that MediaTek has been trumping Qualcomm in the mid-range segment, MediaTek is also competitive in the flagship segment with its Dimensity 9200 and 9300 processors–both powering flagship devices from OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and more.

Qualcomm, on the other hand, was able to maintain its #2 position as brands have been utilizing its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processors for 2024 premium flagship phones and the previous-generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for several flagship killer phones and foldable devices like the Magic V2.

While Apple is expected in the third spot thanks to the A17 Pro powering the iPhone 15 Pro series, Unisoc has been increasing its market share steadily as it is the processor of choice for the majority of 4G entry-level phones. Counterpoint adds that they expect Unisoc to expand to the 5G market with phones like the nubia Neo 2 5G that uses a T820 processor.