Samsung is back on top of the global smartphone market.
Data released by market intelligence firm IDC on Monday showed that Samsung now has 20.8% of the smartphone market, shipping out 60.1 million Galaxy phones from January through March. Apple delivered 50.1 million iPhones in that same time frame, capturing the number two spot with 17.3% of the market.
A Google “Generative AI” image search on a Samsung S24 Ultra smartphone. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Samsung was the top-selling smartphone maker in the world for 12 years until Apple surpassed it at the end of 2023, taking the No. 1 spot for the first time with strong iPhone sales.
Now Samsung is back on top, fresh from the January release of its new Samsung Galaxy S24, which reportedly outperforms the iPhone 15 on 5G performance, according to the latest data, and has features powered by AI, such as photo editing and real-time translation.
The iPhone currently lacks AI features, but Apple could be looking into introducing the tech soon. The company was rumored to be discussing AI features for the iPhone with Google in March and reportedly moved some employees who were working on the now-scrapped 10-year electric car project to its AI division.
Related: Apple Is Reportedly in Negotiations to Build Google’s Gemini AI Into iPhone Features
IDC data showed that, for now, iPhone shipments were down year-over-year, declining nearly 10% from January through March when compared to the same period last year. Apple sold more than five million more iPhones in the first quarter of 2023 than in the same quarter this year.
Samsung also saw negative growth, with shipments down nearly 1% compared to Q1 last year.
Apple’s iPhone 14 was the best-selling smartphone of 2023, according to Counterpoint Research, with other Apple iPhones like the 15 Pro Max and the 15 Pro making up the top seven best-selling smartphones globally last year. Samsung first makes an appearance on the list in eighth place, with the Galaxy A14 5G.
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While Samsung and Apple vied for the top spot in Q1, China-based manufacturers Xiaomi and Transsion took third and fourth place with noticeable growth from last year.
“While IDC expects [Apple and Samsung] to maintain their hold on the high end of the market, the resurgence of Huawei in China, as well as notable gains from Xiaomi, Transsion, OPPO/OnePlus, and vivo will likely have both [manufacturers] looking for areas to expand and diversify,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers, in the IDC report.
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