Apple has lost its leadership position in the smartphone market from Q3 2023, allowing Samsung to be the new leader of the pack in Q1 2024. The new report from IDC shows the improvement in market share for Samsung even though the shipments have come down marginally, compared to Q1 2023.
The overall smartphone market has seen minor growth thanks to the demand for premium smartphones, aiding the growth path for both Apple and Samsung. Having said that, the tech giants have to be wary of brands like Xiaomi, Transsion, Oppo/OnePlus that are gradually making strides in the global sphere. “The smartphone market is emerging from the turbulence of the last two years both stronger and changed,” the IDC note here highlights.
The total shipment of phones in Q1 2024 was reported to be 289.4 million units, which is a 7.8 percent increase from 268.5 million units during the same period in 2023. Samsung and Apple continue to switch places at the top, and while Samsung had a strong standing in Q1 2023, Apple managed to grab the spot thanks to the new iPhone 15 series launch in September 2023, allowing the company to lead the chart in Q4 2023.
It is likely that Samsung has benefited from the launch of the AI-powered Galaxy S24 models in January 2024, which has helped in climbing back to the top. Apple will be hoping for another shift in the standings later this year when the iPhone 16 lineup comes out with AI tech from the company.
Apple’s continued focus on OS support allows people to prolong the use of older iPhones which wasn’t the case earlier. But the AI-powered iPhone 16 launch could be the catalyst that could excite and entice more people to buy and even switch to iPhones this year. The company is also slowly making headway into the Indian market, where it now locally assembles the latest iPhone 15 models, and expected to follow suit with the iPhone 16 series as well.
Location: United States of America (USA)
first published: April 15, 2024, 13:22 IST
