The latest data from Canalys shows Samsung is the top smartphone vendor in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China) in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The South Korean giant captured a 20% market share in the region, despite suffering an 8% annual decline in shipments. Samsung faced stiff competition from Apple, which took the global lead from Samsung in 2023. Apple ranked second in the APAC market with a 16% share, boosted by the strong demand for its iPhone 15 series.
Xiaomi came in third with a 14% share, posting a 34% annual growth. Canalys usually includes sub-brand POCO with Xiaomi estimates, which could explain the remarkable growth.
vivo secured the fourth spot with a 13% share, maintaining its presence in the region with its popular V and Y series.
The fifth spot was taken by Transsion, a group represented by three smartphone brands: Infinix, Tecno Mobile, and Itel. Transsion had a 9% share, mainly driven by affordable smartphones with features tailored to local preferences.
The global smartphone market saw an 8% year-on-year growth in Q4 2023, reaching 319.2 million units, according to Canalys. This indicates signs of stabilization and recovery after the pandemic-induced slump in the previous years.
“The recovery in emerging markets led to a rebound in the second half of 2023, narrowing the decline,” said Sanyam Chaurasia, Senior Analyst at Canalys. “Benefiting from additional strategic focus and resources from vendors who launched a slew of mass-market models, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East showed strong recovery momentum from Q3 2023 onward.”
“Meanwhile, as macroeconomic conditions improved in the APAC region, consumer demand significantly increased toward the end of the year,” adds Chaurasia.
Feature Image credit: Dhruv Vishwakarma (Unsplash)
