In a significant shift within the mobile phone industry, Samsung has claimed the title as the world’s largest seller of mobile phones, according to the latest market data.
The change comes after a pronounced dip in sales for tech giant Apple, which briefly held the leading position.
Over a span of 12 years, Samsung had consistently held the top spot until Apple’s iPhone sales surged ahead at the end of 2023.
However, recent figures from International Data Corp. (IDC), a prominent research firm, indicate that Samsung has once again taken the lead with a 20.8% share of the global market, compared to Apple’s 17.3%.
“While Apple has been super resilient and seen a lot of growth in shipments and share over the last few years, it will be a challenge for it to maintain the pace of growth and the peak share it saw in 2023,” Nabila Popal, research director at IDC, told the Daily Mail. “As the market recovers further in 2024, IDC expects Android to grow much faster than Apple.”
The total number of smartphones shipped globally saw an 8% increase in the first quarter, totaling 289.4 million units.
Despite the overall market growth, Apple’s iPhone experienced a significant sales reduction in China, contributing to a decrease in its market share. It’s reported that Apple moved 50.1 million iPhones in the first quarter, falling from 55.4 million units in the previous year, marking the largest decline since the supply chain disruptions during 2022’s COVID-19 lockdowns.
Apple’s challenges in China have been exacerbated by competitive pressures from local manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Huawei. Further complications have arisen from the Chinese government’s decision to restrict the use of foreign-made devices in official capacities.
Apple, nonetheless, maintains a stronghold over the premium segment of the smartphone market globally. Despite recent setbacks, the company’s market valuation remains robust, standing at $2.7 trillion as of last Friday, second only to Microsoft which is capitalizing on the burgeoning interest in artificial intelligence technology.
Enhancing its product lineup with the introduction of the high-end Galaxy S24 series at the beginning of the year, Samsung has witnessed an uptick in sales.
Samsung’s S24 smartphones, unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, are equipped with cutting-edge artificial intelligence features, such as real-time translation during phone calls and advanced video editing software.
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