Samsung overtakes Apple to become the world's biggest phone-maker again

Samsung has regained its position as the top mobile phone-maker globally

Samsung has reclaimed its title as the world’s top mobile phone manufacturer, having been overtaken by Apple late last year, new figures reveal.

The most recent quarterly data from research firm IDC shows that global smartphone shipments rose 7.8% compared to this time last year, while Apple’s shipments fell nearly 10%. Consequently, Samsung has regained the lead in phone manufacturing, boasting a market share of 20.8%, ahead of iPhone creator Apple, which is second with 17.3% – after the two companies swapped positions in the last quarter of 2023.

Earlier this month, Samsung released an update predicting that its profits for the first quarter of 2024 will be over ten times higher than the same period last year, partly due to robust smartphone sales. According to IDC’s figures, the revival of Chinese brands like Huawei is fuelling the increase in overall phone shipments and also taking market share from Apple.

Another Chinese brand, Xiaomi, holds the third spot with a 14.1% market share, with its shipments having surged almost 34% compared to the same period last year, while Transsion and Oppo two more Chinese firms round out the top five. The data indicates that total phone shipments for the first quarter of 2024 were 289.4 million, up from 268.5 million during the same period last year.

Nabila Popal, IDC’s worldwide tracker team research director, remarked: “The smartphone market is emerging from the turbulence of the last two years both stronger and changed. Firstly, we continue to see growth in value and average selling prices (ASPs) as consumers opt for more expensive devices knowing they will hold on to their devices longer.”

“Secondly, there is a shift in power among the top five companies, which will likely continue as market players adjust their strategies in a post-recovery world. Xiaomi is coming back strong from the large declines experienced over the past two years and Transsion is becoming a stable presence in the top five with aggressive growth in international markets.”

“In contrast, while the top two players both saw negative growth in the first quarter, it seems Samsung is in a stronger position overall than they were in recent quarters.”