Apple overtakes Samsung as top seller of smartphones By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The iPhone 15 Professional is introduced in the course of the ‘Wonderlust’ occasion on the firm’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2023. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photograph

(Reuters) -Apple ended Samsung Electronics (KS:)’ 12-year run as the biggest vendor of smartphones on the earth, after commanding a 20% market share in 2023, in line with a report from Worldwide Information Corp.

Samsung ended the yr with a 19.4% share, adopted by China’s Xiaomi (OTC:), Oppo and Transsion, preliminary information from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Cell Cellphone Tracker confirmed.

The change in rating comes after a troublesome yr that noticed shoppers going sluggish on smartphone upgrades and selecting cheaper handsets as a consequence of excessive inflation and financial uncertainties.

A slower-than-expected restoration in China, the world’s largest smartphone market, additionally weighed on general cellphone gross sales.

Apple (NASDAQ:) and Transsion, which sells Tecno, Infinix and itel manufacturers, had been the one two of the highest 5 smartphone distributors to document gross sales development final yr, despite the fact that the general market declined 3.2% to 1.17 billion models and hit a decade low.

“Whereas we noticed some robust development from low-end Android gamers like Transsion and Xiaomi within the second half of 2023, stemming from fast development in rising markets, the most important winner is clearly Apple,” mentioned Nabila Popal, analysis director at IDC’s Worldwide Tracker workforce.

Cellphone shipments from Samsung had been down 13.6%, whereas iPhone shipments had been up 3.7% final yr, in line with IDC information.

Samsung targeted on the mid- to high-end phase for profitability however misplaced share within the low-end phase, mentioned Amber Liu of analysis agency Canalys.

Apple, nonetheless, is going through stress in China from a resurgent Huawei in addition to from finances Chinese language manufacturers. The iPhone maker is providing reductions of as a lot as 5% on some fashions within the nation to draw clients.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:) on Friday overtook Apple because the world’s most useful public firm, as Wall Road grew extra involved over the demand for its iPhones and different high-end devices.