Apple overtook Samsung as the biggest company in terms of smartphone shipments globally.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Apple took the top spot in global smartphone shipments, overtaking Samsung that had been the top smartphone maker since 2010.
The shift comes as global smartphone shipments declined 3.2% year-on-year to 1.17 billion units in 2023, IDC shared in a blog post.
The overall decline in shipments marks the lowest full-year volume in a decade, driven largely by macroeconomic challenges and elevated inventory early in the year. However, growth in the second half of 2023 has cemented the expected recovery for 2024, the post said.
“While we saw some strong growth from low-end Android players like Transsion and Xiaomi in the second half of 2023, stemming from rapid growth in emerging markets, the biggest winner is clearly Apple,” Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team, said.
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Apple’s ongoing success and resilience is being attributed to increasing trend of premium devices, which represent 20% of the market, fueled by trade-in offers and interest free financing plans, the post said.
And while Apple played a role in Samsung’s drop, the overall Android space is diversifying withing itself. “Huawei is back and making inroads quickly within China. Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high-end. And foldables and increased discussions around AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction”, Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers said.
Other than Apple and Samsung, the top five companies in worldwide smartphone shipments include Xiaomi, Oppo, and Transsion, respectively.
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