If the fight for market share in the smartphone business were a computer game, the duel between Apple and Samsung would most likely be called epic. Since there have been real smartphones, i.e. since the first iPhone (2007), the South Koreans have not only been the first to bring a competing product onto the market. They also overtook Nokia in smartphone sales in 2011 and held this position until 2022. This has now changed last year, and Apple can call itself the company with the most smartphones sold for the first time.
According to figures from the market research institute IDC, Samsung suffered a 13.6 percent decline in sales. Apple, on the other hand, achieved growth of 3.7 percent thanks to a good fourth quarter despite a generally declining market (minus 3.2 percent). Two factors are primarily responsible for the sharp decline in sales at Samsung. On the one hand, the South Koreans did not convince enough customers with their Galaxy S 23 flagship series. In the camp of providers for the Android operating system, you also have to fend off strong competition from the Chinese manufacturers Oppo and Xiaomi, who also plow the important European market with a lot of advertising effort.
Apple uses its own operating system, iOS, and takes great care to insulate itself from the competition. For example, by linking other Apple products to the iPhone. This makes it difficult to switch to the competing Android system. However, within the Android universe, this is not a major problem.
On the other hand, Samsung has a lot of competition for mid-range and entry-level smartphones. This particularly includes the Chinese manufacturer Transsion, which is hardly known at all in Europe. With its brands Itel, Tecno and Infinix, the Shenzhen-based holding company’s smartphones are the clear market leader in Africa. Transsion is also successful in South and Southeast Asia, India, South America and the Middle East. In 2023, the manufacturer reached fifth place in smartphone sales. Transsion does not serve the domestic market of China.
The pressure on Samsung is increasing
The list compiled by IDC is led by Apple (234.6 million), followed by Samsung (226.6 million), Xiaomi (145.9 million), Oppo (103.1) and Transsion (94.9). The group of remaining competitors is larger than Apple, with 361.8 smartphones sold, but also consists of many smaller manufacturers. This also includes Huawei, which has fallen sharply behind because of American sanctions. Huawei has developed its own Android-like operating system, but can’t keep up when it comes to the selection of apps.
The numbers came shortly before the presentation of Samsung’s new flagship smartphones, which was announced for Wednesday evening German time. As you know, the South Koreans, who are tightly organized militarily, will try everything to regain the top position. There is therefore even more pressure on the presentation of the new smartphone series than has already been the case in this hotly contested industry for many years.