In a remarkable shift in the global smartphone industry, Apple has taken the lead in the 2023 market, marking a significant milestone as the first instance since 2010 where Samsung has not dominated this position. This achievement was largely driven by Apple’s impressive fourth quarter performance, where it shipped 80.5 million units, an 11.6 per cent increase year-on-year. This surge boosted Apple’s market share to 24.7 per cent, a slight rise from 24 per cent in the previous year’s corresponding quarter.

The final quarter’s success was crucial in establishing Apple as the yearly frontrunner in the smartphone sector. The tech giant successfully navigated through various hurdles, including heightened regulatory scrutiny and stiff competition from Huawei in China, which is Apple’s biggest market.

In contrast, Samsung experienced a downturn in both shipments and market share during the same period. The company’s total shipments were 53 million units, a decline of 10.9 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2022. Consequently, Samsung’s market share dropped to 16.3 per cent, from 19.8 per cent in the previous year’s final quarter.

The International Data Corporation (IDC) report highlighted a 3.2 per cent annual decline in global smartphone shipments, totaling 1.17 billion units for the year – the lowest in a decade. However, the market showed signs of recovery in the latter half of 2023, particularly in the fourth quarter, which saw an 8.5 per cent year-over-year growth with total shipments reaching 326.1 million units. This exceeded the anticipated growth of 7.3 per cent.

Nabila Popal, IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team’s research director, acknowledged the industry’s changing landscape. The second half of 2023 saw robust growth from lower-end Android manufacturers like Transsion and Xiaomi. Popal noted that Apple’s remarkable annual growth and its attainment of the number 1 position, despite regulatory challenges and competition in China, is largely due to the increasing preference for premium devices. These now account for over 20 per cent of the market, supported by aggressive trade-in offers and interest-free financing plans.

The smartphone industry is currently undergoing diversification within the Android segment. Huawei is making a strong comeback in China, and other brands such as OnePlus, Honor, and Google are introducing competitive devices in the high-end market’s lower price range. Additionally, the sector is seeing heightened discussions around AI capabilities and a growing interest in foldable devices, indicating an evolving and dynamic market landscape.

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