Samsung reclaimed the top spot in smartphone shipments, as Apple’s iPhone shipments decreased by nearly 10% globally in the first quarter of 2024. Apple has been hit by rapid growth by Chinese phone makers, according to data provided by the International Data Corporation (IDC).
According to the IDC report (Via MacRumors), Apple’s shipments fell 9.6% to 50.1 million units in the first quarter, down from 55.4 million units in the same quarter the previous year, which was the most significant annual decline among the top five smartphone brands in the report.
Samsung once again claimed the top spot for the quarter, which it had lost to Apple last year. The Korean smartphone maker had a 20.8% market share with shipments of about 60.1 million units, roughly the same as last year. Its market share was 22.5% during the same period in 2023.
Apple experienced a decline in market share from 20.7% to 17.3%.
“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,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president at IDC Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers.
Apple’s iPhone has struggled in China since Huawei debuted its highly popular Mate 60 series. Sales of the iPhone have also been negatively impacted by a government-backed ban from the offices of state-owned enterprises.
While shipments of the iPhone fell in Q1, smartphone shipments overall rose 7.8% year-on-year to 289.4 million units. It was the third consecutive quarter of shipment growth for the global market.
