Interestingly, Samsung is one brand that isn't so popular in Japan. This is because of a variety of reasons, but is mostly attributable to friction between Japan and South Korea. It even prompted Samsung to rename themselves as Galaxy for the Japanese market.
Network compatibility
These days, thanks to the advancements in technology, most modern mobile phone models from other countries are compatible, so there is a very high likelihood that your iPhone or Android phone will work in Japan without any hassle.
Even with its global market share so low, iPhone has managed to reign supreme in a few key countries. Statistics from StatCounter(Opens in a new window) show that the iPhone holds over 60 percent of the market in Japan and over 50 percent of the market in the United States.
iPhones occupied almost all of the five top spots in the smartphone model sales ranking in Japan, spearheaded by the Apple iPhone SE 2022 with a sales share of 23 percent. The Google Pixel 6a was the only smartphone placed in the ranking that was not produced by Apple.
According to the methodology employed by the source, Android was the most widely used operating system in Japan throughout the whole year. In terms of device models, Apple's iPhones are dominating the smartphone market in Japan.
In 2022, Android users were found to have represented a slight majority of the mobile market at 53.4 percent, compared to 46.6 percent being Apple users.
The top 3 importers of Samsung phone are Vietnam with 183,249 shipments followed by South Korea with 157,501 and United States at the 3rd spot with 132,070 shipments.
There are a variety of reasons for this, which include ease of convenience and high durability. Flip phones may also be seen as sentimental, due to the fact that many people used them when they were younger.
Apple still commands the top spot with 56.8 percent of the market. It's interesting to note that absolute phone sales of all major smartphone manufacturers declined in Japan this past quarter compared to Q4 2021. However, Samsung was the only company that saw an increase in sales.
The App Store
As the App Store is built only for iOS devices, you can download almost any app and expect it to run smoothly without hiccups, even if your iPhone is a couple of years old. Compare that to Android, where if you don't have a high-end device, some apps and games might be too much for your phone to handle.
Apple: Design, Integration, and Outsourcing
From its target marketing, research, and product design, Apple is a much more focused company than Samsung. It is also a much more profitable company. 10 Apple succeeds in design and integration, and no small degree of risk.
While Australian GSM frequencies are different to the networks used in the United States and the United Kingdom, most major mobile brands such as Apple and Samsung have introduced models that are compatible with international networks making searching the internet, uploading to Instagram, and contacting your loved ones ...
Smartphone usage in Japan is booming, with an estimated 85% of the population using a mobile device in 2022 - and this number is only growing, according to Statista. Based on data from the study, the number of smartphone users is projected to reach over 94% of the population, or 115.5 million users, by 2027.
One way of respecting the people around you is to not disturb them with your personal phone call or video call. In Japan, it is considered impolite to have a private conversation on a cell phone while others, especially strangers, are around to listen. This rule extends beyond trains, subways and buses.
iPhone 13 prices have been at their all time low in Japan owing to the lower exchange rates. This is what Apple does to bypass it. iPhone 13 prices vary in different countries depending on the exchange rates and various other factors.
Dust Resistance
But dust resistance remains a problem on the foldable form factor. Dust is a big problem for foldable phones because they have a lot of moving parts. If any small dust particle enters the phone body via any one of its openings, it can cause problems and potentially kill the device.
The world's largest smartphone vendor was dethroned in China amid the rise of local competitors such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, which have catered to Chinese consumers' preference for lower pricing and particular mobile operating systems, while Samsung became irrelevant due to higher prices and a failure to localize.
Samsung may be leading the Android smartphone market worldwide, but Apple is crushing everyone in terms of phone popularity. 8 out of the top 10 best-selling smartphones in the world are iPhones. And although the remaining two are made by Samsung, they're not exactly the most technically-impressive Galaxy models.
Our pick for the best phone overall is the Samsung Galaxy S23, thanks to its large display, long battery life, and 256GB of base storage. Check out all of our picks for the best phones of 2023 below, no matter your budget or your preferred phone manufacturer.
Apple made an exclusive deal with one of the 3 major carriers in Japan, the “SoftBank” (the smallest carrier in Japan at the time), which made them market the iPhone aggressively to get an edge. Then they later sold the iPhones to the other 2 carriers and let them compete to capture the iPhone market.
Fast processors for better performance
The iPhones have a series of processors that reportedly deliver better performance than most Android phones. In addition, Apple blends hardware and software well, making the iPhone more efficient and effective.
An android phone can be modified and customised in various ways, but the basic features of its operating system are much more complicated and confusing than the iOS system. If you value an easy to use and good smartphone for basic use, an iPhone is the obvious choice.