Apple Loses Top Phonemaker Spot to Samsung as iPhone Shipments Drop, IDC Says

Global smartphone shipments increased 7.8 percent to 289.4 million units during January-March, with Samsung, at 20.8 percent market share.

By Reuters | Updated: 15 April 2024 13:37 IST

Apple Loses Top Phonemaker Spot to Samsung as iPhone Shipments Drop, IDC Says

Photo Credit: Reuters

Samsung shipped more than 60 million phones during the first quarter of 2024

Highlights

Apple took the second spot, with 17.3 percent market share
Xiaomi occupied the third position with a market share of 14.1 percent
Samsung launched its Galaxy S24 series earlier this year

Apple's smartphone shipments dropped about 10 percent in the first quarter of 2024, hurt by intensifying competition by Android smartphone makers aiming for the top spot, data from research firm IDC showed on Sunday.

Global smartphone shipments increased 7.8 percent to 289.4 million units during January-March, with Samsung, at 20.8 percent market share, clinching the top phonemaker spot from Apple.

The iPhone-maker's steep sales decline comes after its strong performance in the December quarter when it overtook Samsung as the world's No.1 phone maker. It's back to the second spot, with 17.3 percent market share, as Chinese brands such as Huawei gain market share.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Xiaomi, one of China's top smartphone makers, occupied the third position with a market share of 14.1 percent during the first quarter.

South Korea's Samsung, which launched its latest flagship smartphone lineup - Galaxy S24 series - in the beginning of the year, shipped more than 60 million phones during the period.

Global sales of Galaxy S24 smartphones jumped 8 percent, compared to last year's Galaxy S23 series during their first three weeks of availability, data provider Counterpoint previously said.

Apple's India iPhone Output Hits $14 Billion: Report

In the first quarter, Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones, down from 55.4 million units it shipped same period last year, according to IDC.

Apple's smartphone shipments in China shrank 2.1 percent in the final quarter of 2023 from a year earlier.

The drop underscores the challenges facing the US firm in its third biggest market, as some Chinese companies and government agencies limit employees' use of Apple devices, a measure that mirrors US government restrictions on Chinese apps on security grounds.

The Cupertino, California-based company in June will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where it will highlight updates to the software powering iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices.

Investors are closely watching for updates on artificial intelligence development at Apple, which has so far spoken little about incorporating the AI technology into its devices. The company earlier this year lost the crown as the world's most valuable company to Microsoft.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.