According to data from the International Data Corp. (IDC), Apple’s iPhone has garnered a significant lead in the smartphone market, capturing a market share of 20.1% throughout 2023, surpassing Samsung’s 19.4%.
IDC highlights that this power shift occurred amid a challenging smartphone market. Apple delivered 234.6 million iPhones last year, a substantial increase compared to the 226.3 million units in 2022, representing a growth of 3.7%.
“The overall shift 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.
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However, the Android players are experiencing rapid growth, particularly in the low-end segments. Notable among them are Transsion and Xiaomi, both of which recorded increased shipments in the second half of 2023.
Android players
Chinese companies Xiaomi and OPPO also maintain top positions. Xiaomi’s shipments declined from 153.2 million units in 2022 to 145.9 million in 2023 but is still third in the top position. According to IDC data, OPPO’s market share decreased to 8.8% from 9.5% in 2022. Transsion rounds up the top 5 with a remarkable 30.8% market share growth, rising from 6% in 2022 to 8.1% in 2023.
IDC also highlights the imminent dominance of Chinese brands, including Huawei, Honor, and OnePlus.
Despite this, global smartphone shipments declined by 3.2% year-over-year, totaling 1.17 billion units in 2023. IDC emphasizes that while this marks the lowest full-year volume in a decade, driven largely by macroeconomic challenges and elevated inventory early in the year, growth in the second half has solidified the expected recovery for 2024. The fourth quarter (4Q23) witnessed an 8.5% year-over-year growth, with 326.1 million shipments, surpassing the forecasted 7.3% growth.