For essentially the entirety of the existence of the Android platform and the smartphones that run on it, Qualcomm has been raking in cash. Its chips have been the de facto choice for any manufacturer that wants to be taken seriously and bring a lot of power to the table, and for the most part, Qualcomm has delivered consistently.
However, that time of utter and unforgiving dominance shouldn’t be taken for granted any longer as it seems Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line may find itself on equal footing with other chip manufacturers before you know it. Let’s talk about it.
Qualcomm Isn’t The Definitive Performance King Anymore
There was a time when if you were a power user like me, you’d find yourself nauseous at the thought of using a device that runs on something not made by Qualcomm. Buying my last two Galaxy phones, I went through the trouble of avoiding the Exynos versions sold locally because I needed a Snapdragon version so badly. Most people shared this stance, especially with Galaxy phones, because Exynos’ SoCs were simply inferior. MediaTek was in the same boat at the time and seemed to be most dominant in budget Chinese phones.
Times have changed though, and if you want the chip with the very best performance, it seems you’ll find yourself oscillating between MediaTek and Qualcomm for some time. A few months ago, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 was still the most powerful chip in the world, but now, it’s the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+.
Sure, when the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 launches, it’ll probably take the crown, but the Dimensity 9400 will be released soon after that. The fact of the matter is, Qualcomm no longer has a monopoly on making powerful chips. Even the recent Exynos 2400 was closer than ever in terms of pure performance, to the point where the Exynos S24 is actually worth buying.
Qualcomm Doesn’t Even Claim Dominance Over The Market Any Longer
Qualcomm can’t claim to be the market leader when it comes to smartphone chips. In Q4 of 2023, MediaTek sold the most chips, for about a 20% increase over the same quarter in 2022. Qualcomm, for comparison, only had a 1% increase. With its growth relatively stagnant, it looks like MediaTek won’t hesitate to compete even more closely.
It’s clear that manufacturers don’t mind relying on MediaTek even more so, especially as the company’s chips seem to be more cost-effective for manufacturers, even in the flagship tiers.
Big Brands Putting Faith In Other Chip Makers Could Level The Playing Field
Samsung and Xiaomi were the biggest customers for both Qualcomm and MediaTek. Samsung made up 22% and 21% and Xiaomi made up 20% and 25% of MediaTek and Qualcomm’s sales respectively. However, a major tilt from either company towards adopting one over the other could skew the numbers greatly.
For instance, the upcoming Tab S10 series from Samsung is rumored to be coming with a MediaTek chip for the first time, which is taking food right out of Qualcomm’s mouth. It is also rumored that the South Korean electronics company is considering a MediaTek chip in its Galaxy S25 series, which would be a massive upset to Qualcomm.
As you can see, the idea of using MediaTek chips is no longer as ludicrous as it used to be, especially in the flagship tier. Qualcomm will need to change its strategy if it doesn’t want to find itself dancing too closely with brands it used to consider itself superior to.
