Apple is no longer the world’s biggest smartphone maker by volume, as Samsung took over the top spot, according to analysts Counterpoint Research.
The global smartphone market continued its comeback in the first quarter of the year as shipments increased six percent year on year, with a total of 296.9 million.
Samsung took a 20 percent share of the smartphone market shipments, up from 17 percent from the previous quarter, while Apple shipments fell to 17 percent. Overall Apple’s shipments went down 13 percent year on year.
Samsung’s success was partly due to a strong performance from its Galaxy S24 range, as well as the release of the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35, which had improved photography and security features.
According to Counterpoint Research, the majority of the market’s shipment surge to strong performances across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
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Global smartphone revenue grew by seven percent year on year, the biggest growth recorded in the first quarter of calendar year.
Despite being beaten on shipments, Apple led the smartphone market revenue with a 43 percent share, in spite of a 11 percent decline in its revenue year on year. Samsung’s smartphone market revenue grew by two percent year on year.
Senior research analyst at Counterpoint Research Prachir Singh reported that the Middle East and Africa were the fastest growing regions and this was down to big shipments from Tecno, Honor and Xiaomi.
He cited strong Lunar New Year sales and Huawei's re-emergence as reasons behind China’s shipment success.
Apple saw its smartphone sales rapidly decline in China to their worst performance since the start of the pandemic in 2019.
Year on year, Singh explained that Europe, especially Central Europe and Eastern Europe, grew the most, describing their first quarter of 2023 as difficult. He added that the markets of North America and Japan had declined.
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