Samsung Electronics has regained the lead in global smartphone sales just five months after losing to Apple. According to official data, the return was due to the release of new Galaxy S24 smartphones with artificial intelligence functions.
Last September, Samsung lost the top spot to Apple, but the Galaxy 24, which has a number of AI features, has received a positive market response since its debut in January. In February, Samsung sold 19.69 million smartphones and captured 20% of the market. Apple sold 17.41 million phones and has an 18% share, according to market researchers Counterpoint Research. Analysts attribute Samsung’s return to the top spot to strong sales in the United States and Europe.
The manufacturer of the Galaxy series of smartphones retained first place in the European market with a share of 34%. In addition, Samsung has seen a significant increase in its share of the U.S. market, traditionally dominated by Apple products — to 36% from 20% in January. Apple’s share of the US market fell from 64% to 48% over the same period.
On a year-on-year basis, Samsung lost the top spot in the global smartphone market to Apple last year for the first time in 13 years. According to research company IDC, in 2023, Apple captured 20.1% of the market and overtook Samsung, whose share fell to 19.4%, from 21.7% in 2022.
In January, Samsung launched the S24 smartphone with AI features and advanced camera capabilities. Data showed that by the end of February, the company had sold 6.53 million phones worldwide. AI features that Samsung Electronics introduced in the Galaxy S24 include real-time translation in 13 languages during calls and Circle to Search, which allows users to search for content by outlining an area on the screen.
Recently, Consumer Reports magazine named the Galaxy S24 Ultra camera the world’s best phone camera. The monthly magazine, published by the non-profit organization Consumers Union, gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra camera 87 points, beating the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which scored 86 points. In addition, the Galaxy S24 Plus, which was introduced together with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, took third place with a score of 85 points.
Source: The Korea Times
