Apple, Samsung Shipments Decline As Global Smartphone Market Sees Shift

The global smartphone industry witnessed significant changes during the fourth quarter (Q4), with leading smartphone manufacturers Apple and Samsung seeing declining shipments amid rising competition from Chinese manufacturers, according to International Data Corporation (IDC) data.

Growth Of Chinese OEMs

After a two-year downturn, the global smartphone market demonstrated robust recovery, driven largely by Chinese manufacturers' strategic focus on domestic markets and expansion in the low-cost segment. 

“Despite economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions hindering a broader global recovery, growth among many of the top Chinese vendors like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Lenovo and Huawei, helped drive the recovery momentum, especially in the emerging markets," Will Wong, senior research manager for AP Client Devices, said in a statement. 

"Nevertheless, the growth among vendors was uneven – while some companies grappled with elevated Bill-of-Materials (BOM) costs, others benefited from favourable exchange rates in emerging markets like Southeast Asia. Vivo's performance was particularly notable, fuelled by aggressive product launches and a low comparison base.”

Apple, Samsung's Falling Global Shipments

As per IDC's preliminary data, Apple's global shipments decreased by 4.1 per cent to 76.9 million units in the fourth quarter. Similarly, Samsung recorded a 2.7 per cent reduction, shipping 51.7 million units during the same period.

“Samsung retained its market leadership despite a drop in the total number of units shipped. However, the company continues to grow its share in the premium segment as the average prices increased in the quarter driven by a stronger mix of Galaxy AI-enabled models”, said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for EMEA Client Devices. “The company started rolling out Galaxy AI features to other Samsung models and launched the new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 foldables with Galaxy AI, which contributed to a better performance in the premium segment.”

For the full year 2024, Apple maintained its position as the global market leader with an 18.7 per cent share, followed closely by Samsung at 18 per cent. Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi secured the third position with 13.6 per cent market share. However, the annual performance metrics reveal contrasting trajectories among the top five manufacturers. 

While Apple and Samsung experienced declines of 0.9 per cent and 1.4 per cent respectively, Xiaomi demonstrated remarkable growth, achieving a 15.4 per cent increase in shipments.

Chinese manufacturers collectively achieved a significant milestone in the fourth quarter, accounting for 56 per cent of global smartphone shipments -- their highest quarterly volume to date. This achievement reflects their successful expansion strategies across European and African markets, particularly through their competitive offerings in the low and mid-range segments.

Stagnant Interest In Foldables

Anthony Scarsella, research director for client devices, IDC, further indicated that smartphone manufacturers are beginning to redirect their research and development investments away from foldable devices due to stagnant consumer interest.