Apple briefly took the top spot from Samsung in terms of smartphone shipments in Q4 2023, but Samsung has been quick to reclaim its crown in the first quarter of 2024 with an uptick, according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
In the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24), global smartphone shipments surged by 7.8% year over year, reaching a staggering 289.4 million units, as per preliminary insights from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
| Top 5 companies (Preliminary results, shipments in millions of units) | |||||
| Company | 1Q24 Shipments | 1Q24 Market Share | 1Q23 Shipments | 1Q23 Market Share | Year-Over-Year Change |
| 1. Samsung | 60.1 | 20.8% | 60.5 | 22.5% | -0.7% |
| 2. Apple | 50.1 | 17.3% | 55.4 | 20.7% | -9.6% |
| 3. Xiaomi | 40.8 | 14.1% | 30.5 | 11.4% | 33.8% |
| 4. Transsion | 28.5 | 9.9% | 15.4 | 5.7% | 84.9% |
| 5. OPPO | 25.2 | 8.7% | 27.6 | 10.3% | -8.5% |
| Others | 84.7 | 29.3% | 79.0 | 29.4% | 7.2% |
| Total | 289.4 | 100.0% | 268.5 | 100.0% | 7.8% |
Despite lingering macroeconomic challenges persisting in numerous markets, the industry hasn’t entirely skirted obstacles. Nevertheless, this milestone denotes the third consecutive quarter of shipment expansion, underscoring a robust recovery trend gaining momentum.
Ryan Reith, the group vice president of IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers says that smartphone market recovery continues with the top brands inching towards improved performance across the board. IDC expects Samsung and Apple to hold their crown for the foreseeable future but also expects Huawei to make a comeback and Xiaomi to show massive gains.
He said:
While IDC expects these two companies to maintain their hold on the high end of the market, the resurgence of Huawei in China, as well as notable gains from Xiaomi, Transsion, OPPO/OnePlus, and Vivo will likely have both OEMs looking for areas to expand and diversify. As the recovery progresses, we’re likely to see the top companies gain share as the smaller brands struggle for positioning.
Furthermore, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team Nabila Popal says there has been an overall increase in value and average selling prices (ASPs) in smartphones due to consumers shifting toward more expensive smartphones since they tend to last longer. There has also been a shift in power among the top 5 phone markers with Transsion shaking things up, taking the lead from Vivo and Oppo.
Looking forward, the upset among the top 5 ranks is expected to continue as the companies shift their strategies to adjust to a post-recovery world after COVID.