21.4.2022 | Market analyses ITscope market barometer Q1/2022

Strategy against rising inflation? The price-performance winners of the first quarter: ITscope market barometer Q1 2022

The ITscope market barometer Q1/2022 is here – with the current top sellers from six categories and the best newcomers on ITscope!

ITscope market barometer Q1/2022 as a PDF (English)

The ITscope market barometer is based on ITscope GmbH’s own analysis.

Karlsruhe, 21/04/2022 - At a rate of +7.3%, inflation in Germany soared to a new high in March. Supply bottlenecks and price increases, especially due to Russia's war against Ukraine, are having an immense impact on the inflation rate. Prices are rising the most in the energy sector, but increases are also observable for everyday items such as food - and of course also for ITC products. In this current ITscope market barometer ranking, low-priced mid-range products seemed to be the preferred items on shopping lists in light of this. The iPhone SE, Intel's Core i5-12400 CPI or the iPad - which is significantly cheaper than Microsoft's tablets - are therefore deservedly ahead due to their optimal price-performance ratio.

Even after the previous, very successful quarter, things are still going very well for Apple - although this time round it's not the usual devices with the half-bitten apple logo that are excelling in the Highflyer Charts. The third-generation iPhone SE, which has only been listed on ITscope since the beginning of March, is doing particularly well - with the budget smartphone climbing impressively high in this short amount of time. Though it does follow in the footsteps of an extremely successful predecessor, as the second-generation iPhone SE was among the very top products for ITscope users throughout 2021. "The iPhone SE 2 was and still is one of the most popular products of the entire ITscope platform. It remains to be seen whether the third generation will be able to keep up with the success of its predecessor in the coming months - initial reviews don't seem to be all that enthusiastic yet," says Oliver Gorges, Head of Channel Development & Cooperations at ITscope.

In the individual category charts, things are also going well for Apple: the second-generation iPhone SE is still at the top of the smartphone charts, albeit with declining click numbers. Close on its heels is Apple's latest model, the iPhone 13, and Samsung is also sending two promising newcomers into the ring.

Apple's success streak also continues in the tablet segment, where it managed to climb past ever-popular Microsoft into first place this quarter. The biggest surprise, however, is in the monitor category: after nine quarters at the top, the popular P2419H is finally bidding farewell and a much newer model from Dell takes the lead. AMD currently has the lead in terms of processors, but Intel is launching a completely new CPU that is pushing forward at full throttle.  

Content

Highflyers: Apple still on course
TFTs: finally a new victor in the monitor charts!
Smartphones: prospects for success for Samsung's new flagship? 
Tablets: promising up-and-comers from Microsoft in sight
Notebooks: the air is getting thinner for Lenovo
PC systems: ThinkCentre M70q 11DT still in the spotlight
Processors: strong Intel competition for AMD's Ryzen 5 5600G
Software: scepticism on switching to Windows 11?

Highflyers: Apple still on course

After the recent, very successful Christmas quarter for Apple, a product from this Californian manufacturer has once again made it to the top of the Highflyer Charts. This time round, however, it is neither an iPhone nor iPad, but the AirPods Pro, which made it to first place with almost 2,000 clicks. The AirPods Pro were already near the top of the Highflyer Charts last quarter, but now the Wholesale Selling Price (WSP) has dropped by another €10 down to €190. Of course, this price drop fuels demand for the in-ear headphones and allows them to jump from 4th place directly to the top this quarter.

The Lenovo ThinkPad L15 Gen 2 20X3, which is also far ahead in the notebook charts, secured 3rd place with over 1,500 clicks. Like other models in the L series, the ThinkPad L15 stands for an optimal price-performance ratio. A targeted reduction of features directs the focus to the most important thing: being able to work well. This ThinkPad offers a device with a long battery life and fast Wi-Fi 6, all for a WSP of just over €1,000.

In 4th place, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is also represented in the tablet category charts, but unfortunately it's not very convincing on a technical level - but at a WSP of less than €180, this new tablet is certainly cheap.

With the Intel Core i5-12400, a processor scores 10th place of the Highflyer Charts. The i5-12400 has six Golden Cove cores with twelve threads at 65 watts, doing completely without E-cores. Good gaming performance, high multi-threaded efficiency and, last but not least, the low WSP of €175 stand out particularly positively. 

Probably the newest device in the Highflyer Charts is Apple's third-generation iPhone SE in 17th place - a first-class result for the iPhone, which has only been listed since the beginning of March. The second generation has already been doing extremely well for months, which seems to destine the current model for a promising future. Or perhaps not? After the product launch, there was more criticism than positive feedback for the third generation. The improvements compared to the predecessor model were said to be too small, the design outdated and the price too high. But there are definitely arguments in favour of the SE 3, such as the excellent performance thanks to the A15 chip. And perhaps it's precisely the significantly reduced scope of functions that makes the iPhone SE 3 very attractive for many users. Many features of the higher-end iPhones are nice-to-have, but are hardly needed in everyday life, let alone even used regularly. As is almost always the case, it could have offered a little more, but at a WSP of less than €500, the 3rd generation of Apple's budget device is a solid smartphone that absolutely meets everyday requirements.

Here are the most active 30 new releases with hot-seller potential - our Highflyer Charts:

TFTs: finally a new victor in the monitor charts!

After nine quarters at the top, it's time to say goodbye to the P2419H: the long-time favourite TFT from 2018 has to leave the field. The new winner in first place, the P2422H, is a much newer model from Dell, which is even slightly cheaper than the P2419H (WSP of €228 vs. €240). Presumably, the price of the P2419H has risen continuously in recent months due to its popularity - but now that the newer model is even cheaper, demand is shifting more towards the P2422H. In the last quarter, the P2422H was priced higher than the P2419H. The product clicks also increase starting from around January for the P2422H, while dropping significantly for the P2419H.

Price/stock/status history and product click history for the Dell P2419H (Prod. No. DELL-P2419H), May 2021 to April 2022

Price/stock/status history and product click history for the Dell P2422H (Prod. No. 210-AZYX), May 2021 to April 2022

The price is also one of the main selling points for this monitor, in terms of tech it hardly differs from the older P2419H. The P2419H still used the NTSC colour space standard, while the P2422H has now switched to the international sRGB standard. Both use flicker-free technology, which reduces fatigue when working on the screen. The P2419H features ComfortView to reduce blue light emissions, while the P2422H relies on the more advanced ComfortView Plus, a permanently switched-on integrated screen that not only reduces blue light but also maintains colour accuracy. Last but not least, over 12,300 clicks from ITscope platform users certainly speak for the P2422H - over 30% of the total top 10 clicks! 

Unsurprisingly, the gap to second place is therefore particularly large this quarter, as the HP E24 G4 barely manages 4,000 clicks, while the previous leader, the P2419H, is now only in eighth place with a meagre 2,287 clicks. Dell is still strong in the top 10 with four positions, but HP is clearly catching up - and could therefore sooner or later become a serious threat to TFT star Dell.

Smartphones: prospects for success for Samsung's new flagship? 

Once again, Apple dominates the smartphone top 10 with eight rankings and Samsung only made two top 10 places this quarter. One of Samsung's bestsellers in the B2B environment remains the Xcover 5 Enterprise, which climbs from 5th to 3rd place. With this device, the focus is less on design and more on robustness, as the smartphone - which is wrapped in a thick plastic casing - is well protected against dust, water and even accidental drops. The replaceable battery is also special - certainly not standard anymore these days, especially for a waterproof device. The Enterprise Edition also includes five years of regular software updates and two years of free access to the Knox Suite device management solution. At a WSP of just €212, the Xcover 5 Enterprise is significantly cheaper than most other top 10 smartphones, making it a leader in terms of value for money.

But the South Korean manufacturer is also sending a promising newcomer into the race in 26th place: the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G. Samsung's new flagship scores outstanding results in recent tests, especially in terms of performance. An OLED display with 120 hertz and the quality of the camera also speak for the S21 FE 5G. Only the battery life leaves something to be desired for, as in contrast to the rest of the S21 series, which comes equipped with Samsung's Exynos chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 was chosen for the S21 FE 5G. Although this is also a powerful processor, it only manages 11 hours and 35 minutes of battery life - and therefore only 49 minutes more than the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G.

And with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, another new model from Samsung takes off and directly snatches 33rd place. The smartphone is a real technology highlight and combines the technical features of the S22 series with exclusive design, a large and bright OLED display and the S-Pen screen pen. Added to this are a strong battery life and a brilliant 108 MP camera. The S22 Ultra is currently available for a WSP of around €1,080 - a price that is absolutely justified for the smartphone, which is state-of-the-art in terms of specs. The only negative aspect is that the scope of delivery does not include a power brick, and the headphone jack is also missing.

Tablets: promising up-and-comers from Microsoft in sight

Apple continues to do well in the tablet category, with three top 10 places going to the Californian manufacturer, Samsung also secures three places and Microsoft four. There is a swap in 1st and 2nd place: the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ retreats and makes room for Apple's 10.2-inch iPad, which now leads the ranking with an impressive 5,359 clicks.

The fact that Apple is ahead this time round is rather unusual - throughout last year, Microsoft permanently held first place. Microsoft is very popular in the system house industry, not only in the software and cloud sector, but also in hardware. The impressive rise of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 from 178th to 3rd place could be the reason for this, as the model change from 7+ to 8 presumably ensures that the two tablets currently 'share' clicks between them. And this is also well shown by the price/stock/status histories: while the Surface Pro 8 is practically unavailable until January and the click numbers only then start increasing significantly, the clicks on the 7+ also fall at precisely this time.

Price/stock/status history and product click history for the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ (Prod. No. 1S3-00003), October 2021 to April 2022

Price/stock/status history and product click history for the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (Prod. No. EIN-00020), October 2021 to April 2022

The Surface Pro 8 is a lightweight 13-inch aluminium convertible tablet that impresses reviewers with its excellent performance, top webcams and strong battery life. However, at a WSP of over €1,300 it is not exactly cheap, especially as the matching pen and a keyboard have to be purchased separately to be able to use the tablet as a notebook. 

Things are also looking good for Samsung's Tab A8, which climbed from 853rd into 9th place. Despite this impressive result in our ranking and a place in the Highflyer Charts, the Tab A8 cannot really convince in reviews. Compared to its predecessor, the A7, the A8 is a bit heavier and also slower than the already not particularly fast A7. In terms of features, the A8 is also not exceptional and hardly better than the A7. The tablet only scores points in terms of price, because at a WSP of only around €180, it really is a bargain!

Notebooks: the air is getting thinner for Lenovo

In the notebook category, Lenovo is once again in the lead, but with a different model again: the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 jumps from 12th to 1st place with 9,170 clicks. And the gap to the second-placed Microsoft Surface Book 3, which only gets 3,390 clicks, is very large. In terms of price, the two notebooks are also extremely far apart. The ThinkPad E15, at a WSP of around €730, is more in the low-to-mid price range, whereas the Surface Book 3, at over €1,800, is one of the high-end devices. But the cost for this 2-in-1 device absolutely pays off, because according to the manufacturer it's the most powerful Surface device to date, is flexible, fast and comes with a high-resolution touchscreen as well as a long battery life of up to 17.5 hours.

But overall, the air is getting noticeably thinner for notebook champion Lenovo, as the range of manufacturers represented at the top of the ranking are much more varied this quarter. Alongside Microsoft, Apple, HP, Dell and Fujitsu, Lenovo now only has three places in the top 10. Acer, which made it to second place last quarter as a surprise guest with the TravelMate Spin B3, has unfortunately not been able to keep up the high click figures and has fallen back to 69th place. No other notebook from the manufacturer is ranked any higher either.

Lenovo's newcomers, however, are doing very well: four new devices made it into the top 25, including the Lenovo ThinkPad L15 Gen 2 20X3, which has been listed since December 2021, having climbed directly from zero to 7th place with over 1,500 clicks and therefore also secured itself a place in the Highflyer Charts. Although the L-series usually stands for a good price-performance ratio, this ThinkPad is priced more in the upper segment with a WSP of €1,090. 

PC systems: ThinkCentre M70q 11DT still in the spotlight

The hype surrounding the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q 11DT is unbroken: almost 16,700 clicks are attributed to the PC system, which now claims first place for the third quarter in a row. And the gap to the second-placed HP ProDesk 400 G6, which only managed 3,252 clicks, is even larger than in the previous quarter.

However, there is movement in the category of PC systems, with two comparatively new models from Dell's OptiPlex 3080 series from 2021 in third and fourth place. And with the Dell OptiPlex 3090, a newcomer even makes it into 12th place. 

Processors: strong Intel competition for AMD's Ryzen 5 5600G

While it was a neck-and-neck race between AMD and Intel in the previous quarter, AMD has now taken the lead with six places in the top 10, including first place with the Ryzen 7 5800X and second place with the Ryzen 5 5600G.

Intel, however, is certainly willing to fighting back, sending a completely new CPU into the race with the Intel Core i5-12400, which has been listed since November 2021 and which made it directly from 946th to 11th place. The i5-12400, which also makes it into the Highflyer Charts, is considered a strong competitor for AMD's second-placed Ryzen 5 5600G. Both CPUs have an integrated GPU, though the Ryzen 5 5600G has better graphics and is therefore ideal for low-cost gaming. However, the graphics card of the i5-12400 is absolutely sufficient for day-to-day requirements in the business sector - so both CPUs are well suited for office applications. At a WSP of €175, however, Intel's CPU is cheaper than the Ryzen 5 5600G (WSP: €205) - even over time, the price remains consistently around €20 below the AMD CPU, as the charts show. It seems as if Intel could finally 'have its say' again in the mid-range segment with the i5-12400, after the 11th generation recently performed less well in the ranking.

Price/stock/status history and product click history for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G (Prod. No. 100-100000252BOX), December 2021 to April 2022

Price/stock/status history and product click history for the Intel Core i5 12400 (Prod. No. BX8071512400), December 2021 to April 2022

Intel's Core i7-12700K in third place is also doing well. With its eight P- and four E-cores, it's still almost on par with the Core i9-12900K in 8th place with its 8+8 configuration. Only in applications that use all cores does the i7-12700K lag behind somewhat with a difference of around 20 percent. Both CPUs have clearly improved their ranking compared to the previous quarter. The i7-12700K, which has a WSP of around €370, offers almost the same performance as the i9-12900K at €520, and therefore deservedly performs slightly better in the ranking.

Software: scepticism on switching to Windows 11?

The main topic in the software category is Microsoft's move to Windows 11 - even though the reviews so far are not exactly good. Although the operating system brings a fresh, new look, the increased hardware requirements in the wake of the introduction of a new Trusted Platform Module (TPM) are causing controversy and great uncertainty about hardware compatibility. Windows 11 Pro as a DVD box set also does not fare well in terms of click numbers, barely making it ahead of the Windows 10 Pro box in 10th place. In comparison, the most common Windows 10 ESD licence is well ahead in the rankings with almost three times as many clicks and scoring second place. There is still no sign of Windows 11 as an Electronic Software Delivery ('ESD') variant, presumably because the upgrade is free for most Windows 10 users and the DVD variant is preferred for new installations.

In addition, Microsoft is once again offering Office products in the form of 'Fully Packaged Products' (FPP), i.e. not as subscription products. Even more important for resellers: a subscription-free download version ('ESD') is also offered again, saving valuable time and making automated order processing possible. This seems to be very well received, with Microsoft Office Home and Business 2021 climbing directly to first place. Many resellers seem to be familiar with the manufacturer's T5D-03485 article number by now considering the high click rate...

The software category will continue to stay exciting in the future: starting next quarter, the 'CSP' (Cloud & Managed Services) licences will also appear in our quarterly ranking - it remains to be seen how they will perform.

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About ITscope GmbH

ITscope combines all business models from the ITC industry on a single platform, from procurement and sales to Managed Services, supporting system houses, resellers, distributors and manufacturers in the digitalisation of their business processes.

Founded in 2003, Karlsruhe-based ITscope GmbH has steadily evolved from a price comparison tool to a powerful platform for digital sales and eProcurement. With the B2B Suite digital sales solution, system houses can set up individual procurement portals for their business customers without the need for a conventional shop system, allowing seamless procurement of products from suppliers via EDI. Distributors and manufacturers can also radically simplify their enquiry, sales and order processing workflows on ITscope. On top of all this, ITscope offers insights into market movements and sales trends from the ITC channel.