What is the most commonly used mobile phone in Japan? The answer is an interesting one. First note that Japan is the origin of a number of mobile phone brands i.e. Japanese brands. There are more than ten (10) Japanese mobile phone brands active in the country, and they all produce solid phones. As a matter of fact, as far back as the early 2000s, the Japanese had some of the most cutting edge mobile phones and telecom networks in the world. That has since changed quite a bit and they are not that far ahead as they used to be, but the country remains a leader in the industry.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Besides the Japanese phone brands (which I shall list below), there are also foreign brands active and selling their phones in the small island country. Which are the most popular mobile phone brands, and which is the most commonly used mobile phone in Japan? Come with me, let me walk you through the details.
Table of Contents
What are the Japanese phone brands?
By Japanese phone brands, I mean phone brands that are Japanese in origin.
- Sony
- NTT Docomo
- FuJitsu
- NEC
- Sharp
- Panasonic
- Kyocera
There are a number of Japanese phone brands that have exited the market. A prominent one is Mitsubishi, which used to make Trium phones. I owned one back in 2005 – Trium 110. Ah; but I am getting carried away again.
What are the non-Japanese phone brands in Japan?
As already mentioned, besides phone brands that are Japanese in origin, there are a number of foreign phone brands that sell in the country. They include:
- Apple iPhone
- Huawei
- Lenovo (including Motorola)
- OPPO
- Samsung Galaxy
- Xiaomi (including Redmi)
- ZTE
All of the above, along with the local Japanese brands, play in the highly competitive Japanese mobile phone market. And it is from this mixed bag that the most commonly used mobile phone in Japan emerges.
What are the popular smartphone brands in Japan?
The most popular, or the most commonly used mobile phones in Japan, are as follows:
- Apple iPhone
- Sony
- NTT Docomo
- FuJitsu (including Toshiba)
- NEC (including Casio and Hitachi)
- Sharp
- Panasonic
- Kyocera
- Huawei
- Lenovo
The most commonly used mobile phone in Japan
The most commonly used mobile phone in Japan is the iPhone, by Apple Corporation. According to analytics firm, Kantar, one in every three phones used in Japan is an iPhone. The iPhone has a market share of about 75% in the Japanese smartphone market. That is an amazing thing.
It means that all the other phone brands active in Japan share the remaining 25% of the market between them. It is almost unbelievable. But it is difficult to talk the Japanese out of their love for the iPhone. It is their first option, and most will not pick another brand if an iPhone that meets their needs is available.
Why is Samsung not that popular in Japan?
I have no idea. It just isn’t. The average Japanese will pick an iPhone first and maybe a Sony second, then a Sharp, and a host of others already listed above, before picking a Samsung phone. Samsung is not even among the top ten phone brands active in Japan.
Sony used to be a global phone brand, especially in the days of the joint venture with Swedish brand, Ericsson. The JV produced Sony Ericsson phones and those were popular internationally. The joint venture has since ended, with Sony buying out Ericsson. Unfortunately, Sony Mobile has struggled a lot since then and it has become a niche brand.
The iPhone has been the most commonly used mobile phone in Japan for years, and it does not look like Apple is letting go of its hold on the Japanese market anytime soon.