Apple achieved a historic feat by surpassing Samsung as the world’s leading smartphone vendor in 2023. This is the first time that Apple has claimed the top spot for a full year since the launch of the iPhone in 2007.
According to the latest data from IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Apple shipped 234.6 million smartphones last year, for a 20.1% share of the market share. Meanwhile, Samsung only managed 226.6 million shipments for 19.4% of the pie. Samsung has been the undisputed leader of the smartphone market since 2010 when it overtook Nokia.
The report attributes Apple’s success to the strong demand for premium devices. Apple is the company in the top 3 to show positive growth annually. The company also did well in China, its largest market, despite renewed competition from Huawei.
Samsung, on the other hand, faced challenges from the global chip shortage, the COVID-19 pandemic, and intense competition from Chinese rivals such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and Transsion.
Moreover, the global smartphone market declined 3.2% year over year to 1.17 billion units in 2023, marking the lowest full-year volume in a decade as the industry faced supply chain disruptions, component shortages, and consumer fatigue. However as the market remains challenging, the report expects a momentum shift towards recovery in 2024.
