Market research
Samsung is once again displacing Apple from the smartphone throne
In recent months, Samsung has brought its new top model Galaxy S24 onto the market in its usual annual rhythm. photo
© Pau Venteo/AP/dpa
In 2023, Apple became number one in the smartphone market for the first time in an entire year with its iPhone. But recently the long-time leader Samsung has sold significantly more devices again.
According to calculations by market researchers, Samsung took the top spot in the smartphone market in the last quarter Apple brought back. Almost 21 percent of the devices sold worldwide came from the South Korean company, as the analysis company IDC reported on Monday night. Apple’s iPhone had a market share of 17.3 percent. The strongest boost was recorded by the Chinese provider Transsion, which is primarily active in Africa. With a sales increase of around 85 percent, it sold around one in ten smartphones worldwide and jumped to fourth place.
It is not unusual for Samsung to lag behind Apple in the Christmas business and then take back first place in the first quarter of the new year. But in 2023, Apple was able to overtake the long-time market leader for the first time in an entire calendar year.
In recent months, Samsung has brought its new top model Galaxy S24 onto the market in its usual annual rhythm. According to IDC figures, sales fell by 0.7 percent year-on-year to 60.1 million devices.
The iPhone is Apple’s most important product
Apple sold 50.1 million iPhones, 9.6 percent fewer phones. One reason could be that sales in the same quarter last year were boosted by pent-up demand from the 2022 Christmas season. There were delivery delays for the more powerful Pro models of the iPhone 14 due to Corona lockdowns in production in China. The iPhone is by far Apple’s most important product.
Overall, after a long period of weakness, the smartphone market grew again by 7.8 percent to 289.4 million devices, as IDC calculated. The analysis company is one of the market research companies that regularly estimate sales of electronics. There is no more information about this from the manufacturers themselves.
IDC sees the Chinese provider Xiaomi in third place, with sales increasing by a good third to around 14 percent market share. Fifth place is occupied by the Chinese brand Oppo, which sold 8.5 percent fewer smartphones and achieved a market share of 8.5 percent.