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 Q1/2022as 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:
| Pos. | Manufacturer and product name | Manufacturer no. | Listed since | Clicks |
| # 1 | Apple AirPods Pro | MLWK3ZM/A | 2021-10-20 | 1956 |
| # 2 | HPE 6000 48G Class4 PoE 4SFP 370W Switch | R8N85A#ABB | 2021-10-14 | 1553 |
| # 3 | Lenovo ThinkPad L15 Gen 2 20X3, 15.6″, i7, 16GB, 512GB | 20X300GBGE | 2021-12-04 | 1542 |
| # 4 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, 32GB, grey | SM-X200NZAAEUB | 2021-11-30 | 1229 |
| # 5 | Gigabyte Z690 GAMING X DDR4 | Z690 GAMING X DDR4 | 2021-10-29 | 952 |
| # 6 | Dell Universal Dock | DELL-D6000S | 2021-10-27 | 950 |
| # 7 | Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS), 45mm, 32GB, Midnight Aluminium | MKN53FD/A | 2021-10-05 | 895 |
| # 8 | HPE Microsoft Windows Server 2022 | P46171-A21 | 2021-10-07 | 823 |
| # 9 | Samsung 16GB DDR5, 4800MHz, UDIMM | M323R2GA3BB0-CQK | 2021-12-16 | 663 |
| # 10 | Intel Core i5-12400, 6‑Core, HT, 2.5GHz | BX8071512400 | 2021-11-07 | 656 |
| # 11 | Apple USB‑C to Lightning Cable | MM0A3ZM/A | 2021-10-20 | 644 |
| # 12 | Ricoh M C240FW | 9P00124 | 2021-11-08 | 528 |
| # 13 | Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 GAMING OC 8G, 8GB GDDR6 | GV-N3050GAMING OC-8GD | 2022-01-08 | 510 |
| # 14 | WD Blue SN570, 1TB, NVMe SSD | WDS100T3B0C | 2021-10-07 | 483 |
| # 15 | Synology rack rail kit | RKS-02 | 2021-10-22 | 483 |
| # 16 | Lenovo Performance FHD | 4XC1D66055 | 2021-10-07 | 373 |
| # 17 | Apple iPhone SE (3rd Gen.), 64GB, Midnight Black | MMXF3ZD/A | 2022-03-09 | 293 |
| # 18 | Samsung QM55R‑T, 55″ | LH55QMRBBGCXEN | 2021-10-23 | 278 |
| # 19 | Apple Mac Studio, M1 Max, 32GB, 512GB | MJMV3D/A | 2022-03-09 | 256 |
| # 20 | Apple USB‑C, 140W | MLYU3ZM/A | 2021-10-20 | 220 |
| # 21 | Arctic Freezer i35 A‑RGB | ACFRE00104A | 2021-10-05 | 219 |
| # 22 | HP LaserJet M110we | 7MD66E#B19 | 2021-12-13 | 211 |
| # 23 | Apple Studio Display Standard glass, 5K, TB3 | MK0U3D/A | 2022-03-10 | 201 |
| # 24 | Seagate Bundle QNAP | TS-431KX-2G + 4X ST14000NE0008 | 2021-12-11 | 192 |
| # 25 | Intel Next Unit of Computing 11 Pro Kit | BNUC11TNKI30Z02 | 2021-12-03 | 152 |
| # 26 | Apple Magic Trackpad, black | MMMP3Z/A | 2022-03-09 | 149 |
| # 27 | Samsung EF-BX200, dark grey | EF-BX200PJEGWW | 2021-12-12 | 140 |
| # 28 | AVM FRITZ! DECT 302, heater control | 20002961 | 2022-03-01 | 92 |
| # 29 | Scythe Processor cooler mounting kit | SCMK-1700 | 2021-11-06 | 84 |
| # 30 | Getein Biotech Cov-19 Antigen Rapid Test single | ANTIGEN-BIOTECH-SOFT | 2022-01-07 | 77 |
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.
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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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.