Apple for the first time overtook Samsung as the biggest smartphone manufacturer in 2023 according to the latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
This was achieved despite a 3.2% year-over-year decline in overall smartphone shipment globally in the year under review. A total of 1.17 billion units of smartphones were shipped in 2023, according to IDC’s preliminary report.
While this marks the lowest full-year volume in a decade, driven largely by macroeconomic challenges and elevated inventory early in the year, IDC noted that the growth in the second half of the year has cemented the expected recovery for 2024.
The fourth quarter (4Q23) saw 8.5% year-over-year growth and 326.1 million shipments, higher than the forecast of 7.3% growth.
The biggest winner
According to IDC, the last time a company different from Samsung was at the top of the smartphone market was in 2010, and it wasn’t Apple.
The shift of power at the top of the largest consumer electronics market was driven by an all-time high market share for Apple and a first time at the top.
“While we saw some strong growth from low-end Android players like Transsion and Xiaomi in the second half of 2023, stemming from rapid growth in emerging markets, the biggest winner is Apple. Not only is Apple the only player in the Top 3 to show positive growth annually, but it also bags the number 1 spot annually for the first time.
“All this despite facing increased regulatory challenges and renewed competition from Huawei in China, its largest market. Apple’s ongoing success and resilience is in large part due to the increasing trend of premium devices, which now represent over 20% of the market, fueled by aggressive trade-in offers and interest-free financing plans,” said research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team, Nabila Popal.
The shipments
Apple topped the table with a total of 234.6 million smartphones shipped in the year, which pushed its share of the market to 20.1%. Samsung’s total shipments for the year stood at 226.6 million with 19.4% of the market share.
Xiaomi emerged third in the year with 145.9 million shipments in 2023. Its share of the market stood at 12.5%.
“The overall shift in ranking at the top of the market further highlights the intensity of competition within the smartphone market. Apple certainly played a part in Samsung’s drop in rank, but the overall Android space is diversifying within itself. Huawei is back and making inroads quickly within China, Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high end.
“And foldable and increased discussions around AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction. Overall, the smartphone space is headed towards a very interesting time,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president of IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers.
