Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A report about worldwide smartphone shipments shows the segment grew by 8% year on year in Q4 2023.
- The data says that Apple led the market with 24% of worldwide shipments thanks to the new iPhones.
- This is the first time Apple has beat Samsung in this regard.
New data about worldwide smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of 2023 is coming in. Reportedly, Apple became the top vendor in the market after the launch of the iPhone 15 series, a first for the tech giant.
A new report from Canalys dissects how worldwide smartphone shipments broke down in Q4 2024. According to the research, worldwide smartphone shipments grew by 8% — 320 million units — year on year (YoY) during the quarter. However, the most surprising aspect of the study is Apple’s performance.
The study listed the top five vendors in terms of worldwide shipments. In ascending order, the market leaders included vivo, Transsion, Xiaomi, Samsung, and Apple at the #1 spot. This is the first time Apple has overtaken Samsung as the market leader, snagging 24% of the shipment share to Samsung’s 17%.
It appears the iPhone 15 series was the catalyst for Apple’s success this time around, according to Canalys Research Manager Amber Liu. However, Liu warns Apple will need to look for new market growth opportunities to sustain its trajectory as high-end replacement demand is leveling off and Huawei’s growth will challenge the Cupertino firm in China.
Earlier this month, a report from Counterpoint claimed we’d see a 6% YoY improvement in premium smartphone sales in 2023. While Apple was the leader in that report as well, Apple’s market share dropped by 4% and Samsung’s grew by 1%.
