Google’s Pixel phones are seeing a surge in popularity in Japan

Google’s Pixel phones are one of the more desirable Android handsets around. They offer timely updates, exclusive Google features, and the best possible Android experience around. This is why we can’t say we’re surprised to learn that Google’s Pixel phones are seeing a rise in popularity in Japan.

According to the latest figures from IDC, the year-on-year growth of Google’s Pixel phones in Japan grew by a staggering 527%. This resulted in Google’s 2023 market share in the country jumping to around 10.7% in 2023.

The Pixel handset that contributed to this was the Pixel 7 series. The IDC report also suggests Google’s close partnership with local telco Docomo as being another reason for the popularity. Japan is one of Google’s key markets and is one of the few countries outside of the US to officially launch the Pixel Fold.

Google’s success also seems to come at Samsung’s expense. The report says that Samsung’s shipments have dropped by 39%. To date, Google still does not make their Pixel phones available globally. You can buy them in a lot of markets, but they usually come in the form of gray market imports instead of through official channels.

Apple continues to remain Japan’s number one smartphone vendor with an insane 51.9% market share. Coming in second place is Sharp at 10.9%, followed by Google in third.