In the first quarter of 2024, Samsung dominated 20.8% of the smartphone market, securing the top spot in smartphone sales, surpassing Apple, which held 17.3% of the market. Apple’s sales declined by 10%, according to IDC research.
According to data from Counterpoint, global sales of the Galaxy S24, the new smartphone series launched in early 2024, saw an 8% increase compared to last year’s Galaxy S23 series during its first three weeks of availability.
According to IDC, Samsung sold over 60 million smartphones in the first quarter, surpassing Apple’s 50.1 million units. This contrasts with the 55.4 million iPhones Apple sold in the same period last year.
Global smartphone sales rose 7.8% to 289.4 million units in January-March.
Apple’s decline is linked to restrictions imposed by some companies and government agencies in China, its third-largest market. These restrictions limit employees’ use of Apple products. As reported by Reuters, the US government also restricts Chinese apps like TikTok for security reasons.
Specifically, Apple’s smartphone sales in China declined by 2.1% in the final quarter of 2023 compared to the previous year. Xiaomi occupied the third position in the smartphone market, holding a market share of 14.1%, while other Chinese companies like Huawei experienced growth.