Samsung might not be world’s top smartphone vendor in Q4 2017

Samsung has been the world’s top smartphone vendor for the first, second and third quarters of 2017. Many would have been expecting the company to continue this momentum in the fourth and final quarter. However, if a new report by TrendForce is believed, Samsung might lose this title to Apple in the fourth quarter of this year.

It’s estimated that global smartphone production volume will reach its peak for the year in Q4 2017 with a total of 425 million units, a 6.3 percent increase year-over-year. Global smartphone shipments for the entire year are estimated at 1.46 billion units.

Samsung’s Q4 2017 shipments

Samsung’s production volume reportedly reached its peak for the year in Q3 2017 and is now projected to fall in Q4 2017. TrendForce estimates that Samsung shipped 81 million units in the previous quarter, accounting for 24.5 percent of the market.

Its expected to ship 77 million units in Q4 2017, registering a 5 percent decline from the previous quarter. This would give the company a market share of 18.2 percent in the final quarter.

Samsung is expected to scale back the production of its high-end devices like the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8. It’s apparently going to do that in response to strong demand for Apple’s latest iPhones.

Apple is now expected to become the world’s largest smartphone vendor in Q4 2017 with a market share of 19.1 percent. It expects iPhone shipments to hit 81 million this quarter with the iPhone X accounting for 33 percent of the total.

Bear in mind that this is just one market research company. There are countless others that have their own predictions for Q4 2017 smartphone shipments. It remains to be seen how this plays out.