Apple has overtaken Samsung to become the global market leader in smartphone sales for the first time

According to preliminary data from research company IDC, according to the results of 2023, the situation in the global smartphone market has changed, and Samsung is no longer the permanent leader.

Here's What We Know

The IDC report states that at the end of the year, Apple holds 20.1% of the global smartphone market, and Samsung - 19.4%. This means that Apple overtook Samsung for the first time in terms of the number of smartphones sold and dislodged the competitor from the first line. Samsung has held the lead for 13 years - since 2010, when Nokia held the top spot, Samsung was second and Apple wasn't even in the top 5.

Apple was also the only company in the top three to achieve positive year-on-year growth, increasing shipments from 226.3 million to 234.6 million smartphones.

At the same time, Samsung's result was 226.6 million units. The 3rd place is occupied by Xiaomi with a result of 145.9 million smartphones.

Overall, the smartphone market declined by 3.2% to 1.17 billion units shipped for the year. But analysts predict a market recovery this year, primarily due to foldable devices and increased interest in artificial intelligence capabilities.

Source: IDC