Apple has surpassed Samsung in worldwide smartphone shipments for the first time.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), Apple shipped 234.6 million mobile phone units versus Samsung’s 226.6 million in 2023. Xiaomi was in third place with 145.9 million units.
This means that Apple had 20.3 percent of the global smartphone market share in 2023 compared to Samsung’s 19.4 percent market share. Comparing 2023 to 2022, Apple saw a 3.7 percent market share increase, while Samsung saw a 13.6 percent market share decrease.
Image Credit: IDC
“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 Nabila Popal, a research director with the IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team.
While Apple’s performance played a role in taking over the top spot from Samsung, the IDC notes that increased competition from other Android manufacturers like Huawei, Google, and OnePlus contributed to Samsung’s second-place ranking. The last time a company other than Samsung had the top spot was in 2010, when Nokia was in first place. Oh, how the times have changed.
“The overall shifting in ranking at the top of the market further highlights the intensity of competition within the smartphone market,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president of IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers.
It’s important to note these figures from the IDC only factor in new shipments and exclude refurbished units. The data for company shipments only includes branded device shipments and excludes OEM sales. The IDC also highlights that this data is preliminary and subject to change. A second research agency, Canalys, also has Apple claiming the top spot in 2023.
In Canada, smartphone sales were down slightly in Q3 2023 and Apple’s iPhone remains the dominant smartphone brand among Canadian consumers.
