Last updated on March 23rd, 2024 at 07:49 am

The iPhone manufacturer ends its South Korean rival’s 12-year lead, while Xiaomi, Honor, and Google carve up the Android market

Apple has surpassed Samsung to become the world’s leading smartphone seller, ending the Korean tech firm’s 12-year reign as the industry leader.

According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), Apple claimed the top spot in 2023 with 234.6 million units sold, surpassing Samsung’s 226.6 million units.

IDC attributed Apple’s rise to trends such as the growing popularity of high-end devices, which now represent more than 20% of the market.

“The last time a company other than Samsung led the smartphone market was in 2010, and for 2023, it is now Apple,” IDC stated. “A shifting of power at the top of the largest consumer electronics market was driven by an all-time high market share for Apple and a first-time leadership position.”

The $2.8 trillion US tech company commanded a 20.1% market share, surpassing Samsung’s 19.4%, according to IDC. While Apple has long been the largest smartphone maker in terms of revenues and profits, this is the first time it has led the market in terms of volume.

The sales data was released before Samsung’s latest models, the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra, were unveiled on Wednesday. The South Korean conglomerate is expected to introduce these models with artificial intelligence-backed features.

“The last time a company other than Samsung led the smartphone market was in 2010, and for 2023, it is now Apple,” IDC stated. “A shifting of power at the top of the largest consumer electronics market was driven by an all-time high market share for Apple and a first-time leadership position.”

The $2.8 trillion US tech company commanded a 20.1% market share, surpassing Samsung’s 19.4%, according to IDC. While Apple has long been the largest smartphone maker in terms of revenues and profits, this is the first time it has led the market in terms of volume.

The sales data was released before Samsung’s latest models, the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra, were unveiled on Wednesday. The South Korean conglomerate is expected to introduce these models with artificial intelligence-backed features.

Ben Wood, chief analyst at research firm CCS Insight, described the IDC data as a “psychological” blow to Samsung. However, he anticipated that the competition would remain tight throughout this year.

“I think it will continue to be a closely contested battle in 2024, but there is little doubt that Apple is on a strong trajectory,” he said. “The loyalty consumers have towards Apple devices means once they get one, they seldom switch to something else.”

Wood highlighted the significance of Samsung’s product launch on Wednesday in light of the data.

“This means Samsung needs to do everything it can to retain existing users and attract new customers for its devices.”

IDC also noted the growing fragmentation in the market for Android smartphones, mentioning low-end Samsung competitors like Transsion and Xiaomi, as well as Honor and Google.

The IDC attributed Samsung’s decline in sales in part to the success of Huawei’s well-received products in China. The data provider also emphasized that Huawei continued to pose a competitive threat to Apple in China, which is Apple’s largest market.

Global smartphone shipments fell by 3.2% to 1.17 billion units in 2023, according to IDC. However, the group noted that the industry was rebounding after a slow period.

“The growth in the second half of the year has solidified the anticipated recovery for 2024,” the IDC added.

Last week, Apple lost its position as the world’s most valuable company to Microsoft, which reached a valuation of $2.9 trillion.