Apple dethrones Samsung in global smartphone shipments after over a decade

The year 2023 was remarkable for Apple’s iPhone. It bid goodbye to its long-established lightning port and reportedly surpassed Samsung in global smartphone shipments.

Preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker showed that Apple dispatched 234.6 million units in 2023, claiming 20.1 percent of the market share.

In contrast, Samsung shipped 226.6 million units, making up 19.4 percent of the market share. These findings aligned with those reported by global technology market analysis firm, Canalys.

This is the first time that Samsung has dropped from the top spot since 2010, when Nokia dominated and Apple hadn’t even made it into the top five. For 2023, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Transsion claimed the remaining three spots, shipping 145.9 million, 103.1 million, and 94.9 million smartphones globally.

The change is significant considering the increasing competition and ongoing regulations in the smartphone industry.

Ryan Reith, IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers group vice president, explained in a statement;

Apple certainly played a part in Samsung’s drop in rank, but the overall Android space is diversifying within itself. Huawei is back and making inroads quickly within China, Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high end. And foldables and increased discussions around AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction. Overall, the smartphone space is headed towards a very interesting time.

Remarkably, while overall smartphone shipments saw a decline of 3.2 percent in 2023, they increased by 8.4 percent in the fourth quarter.

However, Apple faces fierce competition in China, with its sales in the region falling by 11 percent in the fourth quarter compared to the previous year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ahead of the Lunar New Year, which is a gift-giving season, the company has reduced its iPhone prices by approximately $70.

This unusual move of discounting their latest model, the iPhone 15, could potentially yield benefits in a challenging market.