Riding on the success of iPhone 11, Apple led the global premium segment with 57 per cent market share, followed by Samsung and Huawei, according to a new report.

While most of the brands declined, OPPO grew 67 per cent (from a low base) driven by Reno 3 and Reno 3 Pro 5G series, and Xiaomi also grew 10 per cent from a small base driven by the Mi 10 5G and Mi Note 10 series.

The top 3 players together captured 88 per cent of the segment during the quarter globally, according to Counterpoint Research.

"Within regions, Apple and Samsung remained in the top two spots in all the regions except China, where Huawei was the market leader in the premium segment," said Varun Mishra, Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research.

Driven by the popularity of OnePlus 7 series, OnePlus also featured in top 5 players in the premium segment in all the regions except LATAM and China.

The overall contribution of the premium segment within the global smartphone market remained resilient at 22 per cent, similar to the previous year.

"The segment remains key as while it accounts for 22 per cent of total smartphone sell-through, it contributed close to 57 per cent of total global smartphone revenue during the quarter," Mishra noted.

Within models, iPhone 11 continued to do well and was the highest-selling model in the premium segment for Q1. Top four out of five highest selling models in the premium segment were from Apple.

5G devices cornered one-fifth of the total premium segment during the quarter.

Huawei with its strong push in China captured close to 42 per cent of the total 5G device sell-through in the premium segment.

"Going forward, the launch of 5G devices by Apple will play a key role in the growth of the premium segment. We also think the premium segment is likely to remain the most resilient from the COVID-19 impact," said Mishra.