iPhone overtakes Samsung as world’s top smartphone brand

Apple has overtaken South Korean tech big Samsung as the world’s top smartphone vendor.

The final time an organization not named Samsung was on the top of the smartphone market was 2010.

A kind of shifting of energy on the top of the biggest shopper electronics market was pushed by an all-time excessive market share for Apple and a primary time on the top, as per knowledge launched by the International Data Corporation.

According to preliminary knowledge from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, international smartphone shipments declined 3.2% yr over yr to 1.17 billion items in 2023.

While this marks the bottom full-year quantity in a decade, pushed largely by macroeconomic challenges and elevated stock early within the yr, development within the second half of the yr has cemented the anticipated restoration for 2024.

The fourth quarter (4Q23) noticed 8.5% year-over-year development and 326.1 million shipments, greater than the forecast of seven.3% development.

“While we noticed some robust development from low-end Android gamers like Transsion and Xiaomi within the second half of 2023, stemming from speedy development in rising markets, the largest winner is clearly Apple,” stated Nabila Popal, analysis director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker group. “Not solely is Apple the one participant within the Top 3 to indicate constructive development yearly, but in addition baggage the #1 spot yearly for the primary time ever. All this regardless of going through elevated regulatory challenges and renewed competitors from Huawei in China, its largest market. Apple’s ongoing success and resilience is largely as a result of growing pattern of premium units, which now symbolize over 20% of the market, fueled by aggressive trade-in affords and interest-free financing plans.”

“The general shift in rating on the top of the market additional highlights the depth of competitors inside the smartphone market,” stated Ryan Reith, group vp with IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. “Apple actually performed an element in Samsung’s drop in rank, however the general Android area is diversifying inside itself. Huawei is again and making inroads rapidly inside China, Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very aggressive units within the cheaper price vary of the excessive finish. And foldables and elevated discussions round AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction. Overall, the smartphone area is headed in the direction of a really fascinating time.”