CHART: Apple Toppled Samsung to Lead Smartphone Shipments in 2024
Despite intense competition from Chinese manufacturers.
Highlights:
- Global smartphone shipments grew 6.4% year-over-year, totalling 1.24 billion units.
- Vendors’ promotions, trade-in programs, and multi-segment strategies fueled the market’s recovery.
- Chinese vendors accounted for 56% of global shipments in Q4, the highest ever recorded.
Apple reclaimed its position as the world’s largest smartphone vendor in 2024, overtaking Samsung despite facing intense competition from Chinese manufacturers.
According to preliminary International Data Corporation (IDC) data, Apple shipped 232.1 million smartphones, accounting for 18.7% of the global market. This marked a significant shift as Samsung, which shipped 223.4 million units for an 18% market share, slipped to second place.
The year was a turning point for the global smartphone market, which rebounded with a 6.4% year-over-year increase in shipments, totalling 1.24 billion units. Apple’s return to the top spot underscored its ability to navigate a challenging landscape where emerging Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo rapidly gained ground.
Despite its success, Apple’s shipments declined slightly by 0.9% compared to 2023, while Samsung saw a larger dip of 1.4%. Analysts attribute Apple’s resilience to its strong performance in the premium segment, aided by aggressive trade-in offers and financing plans, which helped maintain demand for its flagship devices.
Chinese brands, however, were the driving force behind the overall market growth. Xiaomi solidified its position as the third-largest smartphone vendor, shipping 168.5 million units in 2024, a 15.4% year-over-year increase. Its market share rose to 13.6%, driven by its dominance in the low- and mid-range segments, particularly in China and emerging markets. Meanwhile, Oppo and Transsion rounded out the top five, with both brands leveraging their strengths in specific regional markets.
