Samsung retook its position as the number one smartphone manufacturer in the world as it displaced Apple in Q1 2024.
This is according to the latest data released by research firm, International Data Corporation (IDC). According to IDC, Apple’s smartphone shipments dropped by about 10% in the first quarter of 2024, hurt by intensifying competition by Android smartphone makers aiming for the top spot.
Global smartphone shipments increased 7.8% to 289.4 million units during January-March, with Samsung at 20.8% market share, clinching the top phone maker spot from Apple. Apple’s market share in the period stood at 17.3%.
Recall that Apple, for the first time, overtook Samsung in 2023 as its market share jumped to 20.8% at the end of the year.
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The top five phone makers
Samsung sitting atop the table shipped 60.1 million smartphones in Q1 2024 to become number one, while Apple shipped 50.1 million devices in the same period.
Xiaomi, one of China’s top smartphone makers, occupied the third position with a market share of 14.1% during the first quarter. The Chinese company shipped 40.8 million smartphones in the period under review.
The fourth position is occupied by another Chinese phone maker, Transsion, which owns three phone brands, Tecno, Infinix, and iTel. Transsion shipped 28.5 million devices in Q1 2024.
According to the IDC data, Oppo came 5th having shipped 25.2 million devices between January and March. The company’s market share stood at 8.7%.
Steady growth in smartphone shipments
While noting that the smartphone industry is not completely out of the woods, as macroeconomic challenges remain in many markets, IDC said the Q1 record marks the third consecutive quarter of shipment growth, a strong indicator that a recovery is well underway.
- “As expected, smartphone recovery continues to move forward with market optimism slowly building among the top brands,” said Ryan Reith, Group Vice President, IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers.
- “While Apple managed to capture the top spot at the end of 2023, Samsung successfully reasserted itself as the leading smartphone provider in the first quarter. While IDC expects these two companies to maintain their hold on the high-end of the market, the resurgence of Huawei in China, as well as notable gains from Xiaomi, Transsion, OPPO/OnePlus, and vivo will likely have both original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) looking for areas to expand and diversify.
- “As the recovery progresses, we’re likely to see the top companies gain share as the smaller brands struggle for positioning,” he added.
Nabila Popal, Research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team, shared a similar sentiment, noting that the smartphone market is emerging from the turbulence of the last two years both stronger and changed.
- “Firstly, we continue to see growth in value and average selling prices (ASPs) as consumers opt for more expensive devices knowing they will hold onto their devices longer. Secondly, there is a shift in power among the Top 5 companies, which will likely continue as market players adjust their strategies in a post-recovery world,” he said.
