January 25, 2023
Apple Leads In Smartphone Shipments, Overtakes Samsung For First Time
- by Colin Kirkland , January 16, 2024
For the first time, Apple has overtaken Samsung in shipping the most smartphones globally.
In 2023, Apple shipped 234.6 million iPhones (with 20.1% of the market share), while Samsung shipped 226.6 units (19.4% of the market share), according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
The last time Samsung did not hold the top spot was thirteen years ago in 2010, when Nokia finished first, followed by Samsung second, LG third, ZTE fourth and Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion fifth -- highlighting the fast-moving nature of the smartphone industry.
In 2023, Xiaomi, OPPO and Transsion took the remaining three spots with 145.9, 103.1 and 94.9 million smartphones shipped globally, respectively.
advertisement advertisement Top 5 Companies, Worldwide Smartphone Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q4 2023 (Preliminary results, shipments in millions of units) | |||||
Company | 4Q23 | 4Q23 Market | 4Q22 | 4Q22 Market | 4Q23/4Q22 |
1. Apple | 80.5 | 24.7% | 72.1 | 24.0% | 11.6% |
2. Samsung | 53.0 | 16.3% | 59.5 | 19.8% | -10.9% |
3. Xiaomi | 40.7 | 12.5% | 33.2 | 11.0% | 22.7% |
4. Transsion | 28.2 | 8.6% | 16.7 | 5.6% | 68.6% |
5. vivo | 24.1 | 7.4% | 22.9 | 7.6% | 5.1% |
Others | 99.5 | 30.5% | 96.1 | 32.0% | 3.5% |
TOTAL | 326.1 | 100.0% | 300.6 | 100.0% | 8.5% |
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, January 15, 2024 | |||||
“Not only is Apple the only player in the Top 3 to show positive growth annually, but also takes the number 1 spot annually for the first time ever,” said IDC's Worldwide Tracker team Research Director Nabila Popal. “Apple's ongoing success and resilience is in large part due to the increasing trend of premium devices, which now represent over 20% of the market, fueled by aggressive trade-in offers and interest-free financing plans.”
“The overall shift in ranking at the top of the market further highlights the intensity of competition within the smartphone market,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC Worldwide's mobile device tracker suite, adding that the Android space is diversifying
“Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high end,” Reith added. “And foldables and increased discussions around AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction. Overall, the smartphone space is headed toward a very interesting time.”
According to IDC, global smartphone shipments actually declined 3.2% year-over-year to 1.17 billion units in 2023, marking the lowest full-year volume in a decade, “driven largely by macroeconomic challenges and elevated inventory early in the year.”
The growth in the second half of the year (8.4%) is likely to cement a recovery for 2024, IDC says.
Despite its global lead, Apple is still struggling to compete in China, according to The Wall Street Journal's report that the company's Q4 sales in China dropped 11% compared to the previous year.
