Samsung dethrones Apple to become the world’s largest smartphone maker again

Apple dethroned Samsung to become the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer in 2023, shipping more phones than the latter for the entire year. This happened after 13 years of Samsung dominating smartphone sales with its Galaxy devices. Following this setback, the Korean company has made a strong comeback this year, with the Galaxy S24 selling like hotcakes thanks to Galaxy AI. Coupled with iPhone sales dwindling in China, Samsung has again recaptured the top slot from Apple in the global smartphone market in Q1 2024.

Related

Samsung Galaxy S24: Price, specs, news, and features

Samsung’s next flagship lineup is finally here

Preliminary numbers from IDC indicate that Samsung shipped 60.1 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2024, capturing 20.8% of the market. For comparison, the company shipped 60.5 million smartphones in the year-ago quarter. Still, this was considerably higher than the 50.1 million iPhones Apple shipped in Q1 2024, ranking second with a 17.3% share.

Samsung’s strong performance should be attributed to the early success of the Galaxy S24 series. Multiple reports claim the company’s 2024 flagship is outselling the Galaxy S23, with sales growing by 14% in the US and by a whipping 28% in the UK, Germany, and France. In other vital markets too, the Galaxy S24 has registered double-digit growth within the initial few weeks of its availability.

Based on IDC’s numbers, Xiaomi saw 33.8% growth in its sales, shipping 40.8 million smartphones and capturing 11.4% of the market for the third spot. This is likely due to the strong consumer interest in the Xiaomi 14 series in both the Chinese and European markets. The Chinese company lost significant market share over the last two years, but its new strategy and product mix seem to have clicked with consumers now.

Transsion — owner of brands like Techno, Itel, and Infinix — registered the biggest growth, with sales jumping 84.9% to 28.5 million units.

Samsung will face stiff competition from Xiaomi and Huawei

Overall, IDC claims global smartphone shipments jumped to 289.4 million units in Q1 2024, an increase of 7.8% YoY. This was the third consecutive quarter where smartphone sales have increased, showing the market is recovering from the post-pandemic slowdown.

With iPhone sales cratering in China, Apple is unlikely to reclaim the top spot from Samsung in the global smartphone market anytime soon. However, the Korean giant will face stiff competition from Xiaomi and Huawei, both of which have seen rapid growth since late last year.