Summary
- Samsung’s smartphone sales dipped, allowing Apple to become the world’s largest maker for the first time in 13 years.
- Despite waning consumer interest in budget phones, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S and Fold lineups are thriving.
- Galaxy S24 is seeing double-digit sales growth worldwide, with the Ultra model accounting for the majority of sales.
Samsung’s smartphone sales have been consistently declining over the last few years. In 2023, the fall was big enough for Apple to become the world’s largest smartphone maker, surpassing Samsung for the first time in 13 years. On the positive side, while the Korean company’s budget phones have seen waning consumer interest, its flagship Galaxy S and Fold lineup sales have been booming. And with the Galaxy S24 this year, Samsung’s flagship phone is reportedly registering double-digit growth in many markets.
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A report from Yonhap News based on data from Counterpoint Research claims the Galaxy S24 sales grew by 8% compared to the Galaxy S23 in the first three weeks of its launch (via SamMobile). In South Korea — Samsung’s home market — the jump was even bigger at 22%. In the US, the Galaxy S24 sales grew by 14%. It’s the same story in Western Europe — the UK, Germany, and France — where Samsung’s newest flagships have seen a 28% growth in sales followed by strong preorders.
Samsung saw impressive growth in Galaxy S23 orders in 2023 as well. A report from late February 2023 following the Galaxy S23’s launch claimed the preorder numbers were higher by 10% in Taiwan, more than doubled in India within the first 48 hours, and 8% higher in South Korea.
Impressively, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has accounted for 52% of the lineup’s total sales so far, with the S24 coming in second at 27%. The S24+ accounts for the remaining 21%. These numbers are slightly down from the S23 series, where the Ultra model accounted for 60% of the sales worldwide.
The strong sales of the Galaxy S24 series should help boost Samsung’s profit margins, though it might not be enough for the company to regain its top spot in the global smartphone market.
Despite a modest upgrade over the S23, the Galaxy S24 Ultra and its smaller siblings appear to pack all the right upgrades to make consumers want them. That’s despite there being excellent offerings like the iPhone 15 Pro and OnePlus 12.
Samsung shipped around 31.11 million Galaxy S23 units until January 2024, up from the 24.99 million Galaxy S22 units. If early sales numbers are anything to go by, the company’s latest flagship should surpass this figure easily.
