South Korean electronics giant Samsung is back at the helm of affairs in the smartphone market after iPhone maker Apple saw its shipments plunge nearly 10 percent in the first quarter of 2024. Samsung’s shipments remained the same as last year and retained a 20.8 percent market share, according to a report from International Data Corporation.
After reigning the roost for 13 years, Samsung lost its top position in the segment to Apple last year. Samsung’s market share had declined from 21.7 percent in 2022 to 19.4 percent in 2023. Apple recorded a 20.1 percent share in smartphone shipments, marginally emerging in front of Samsung.
However, this slender lead did not last for long. Apple’s shipments shrank 9.6 percent from 55.4 million in the first quarter of 2023 to just over 50 million in the same period in 2024. During this time, Samsung shipped 60.1 million units— the same as last year— and captured a larger market share than the US tech giant.
Resurgence of Chinese brands
Although the fight might appear for the top spot, the smartphone market has seen a resurgence of Chinese brands eating into Apple’s market share.
Digital communications brand Huawei, whose global reputation has suffered over the past few years, is making a comeback in the consumer business segment with its flagship smartphone, Mate 60. Huawei’s shipments have risen 7.8 percent to 289.4 million units year-on-year, the IDC report said.
Along with its spinoff brand, Honor, Huawei was the best-performing smartphone brand for the first six weeks of 2024. However, neither brand made it to the remaining three spots on the list of highest sales. Instead, other Chinese brands hold these spots.
Oppo is the fifth phone maker on the list with 8.7 percent market share, while Transsion has almost 10 percent market share. With its brands, Tecno, Itel, and Infinix, Transsion has quietly made it the world’s fifth largest smartphone maker, CNBC reported.
Xiaomi slotted in at third place behind Samsung and Apple. The company’s shipments surged 33.8 percent in the first quarter of 2024.
Troubles mount for Apple
Several businesses and government organizations imposed a ban on Apple products in China, resulting in a dip in sales for Apple. This is similar to the blow dealt to Chinese brands over security concerns.
But the Cupertino-based company’s problems do not stop there. After being displaced from its top perch last year, Samsung sold 19.69 million phones in February alone. In comparison, Apple sold 17.41 million units of its iPhones.
Interestingly, Samsung’s stronger sales are coming from the US and European markets, eating into Apple’s market shares in these regions, too.
Interesting Engineering recently reported that Apple’s Mac sales remained largely flat during the last year, forcing it to unveil a fresh lineup with its latest AI-enabled M4 chips. Following Samsung’s lead, Apple may also have to equip its iPhone with similar features.
Announcements of this nature are expected at its annual developers conference in June.
Sourece: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/samsung-beats-apple-smartphone
