Counterpoint Research's analysis shows that at its peak in 2017, there were more than 700 smartphone brands contributing to the 1.5 billion units sold annually. In 2023,...
It clears out companies who fail to complete. There are only so many people willing to buy a phone at a time and too many phones on the market means that the phone companies won't be able to sell enough phones to stay afloat. This means that the companies who can't offer a compelling device to consumers will disappear.
My response got eaten so here's the gist: big tree gets all the sunlight, and you rejoice when a few saplings choke each other out.
The entrenched companies don't need to do anything other than exist in order to eliminate competition. Fewer saplings means less risk of the big tree getting disrupted. That means less innovation.
I don't think Tue android phone space is a monopoly. (Not counting Google's control of course) A monopoly is when a single company is the only one selling a product or service