Apple’s Smartphone Shipments Decline 10%, Samsung Takes Lead: IDC Report

Apple’s smartphone shipments fell by about 10 percent in the first quarter of 2024, hit by intensifying competition from Android smartphone makers vying for the leading position, research firm IDC data showed, cited by Reuters.

In the January-March period, global smartphone shipments increased by 7.8% to 289.4 million units, and Samsung, with a 20.8% market share, took over from Apple the first place in top phone manufacturers.

The steep decline in the iPhone maker’s sales comes after its strong performance in the October-December 2023 quarter, when had overtaken Samsung and become no. 1 worldwide.

Apple is now back in second place with a 17.3% market share as Chinese brands such as Huawei gain market share. Xiaomi, one of China’s leading smartphone makers, takes the third position after having a market share of 14.1% in the first quarter.

South Korean company Samsung, which launched its latest range of flagship smartphones – the Galaxy S24 series – at the start of the year, shipped more than 60 million phones in the first three months of 2024.

Global sales of Galaxy S24 smartphones jumped 8 percent compared to last year’s Galaxy S23 series in the first three weeks of availability, data provider Counterpoint said.

In the first quarter, Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones, down from the 55.4 million units it shipped in the same period last year, according to IDC.

Apple’s smartphone shipments in China fell 2.1% in the last quarter of 2023 compared to the previous year. The decline underscores the challenges facing the US firm in the world’s third-largest market, as some Chinese companies and government agencies restrict employee use of Apple devices.

The Cupertino, California-based company will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, where it will showcase updates to the software that powers iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices.

Investors are closely watching information on AI development at Apple, which has so far said little about incorporating AI technology into its devices. The company lost the crown of the world’s most valuable company to Microsoft earlier this year.