According to market research firm IDC, Samsung shipped 260.9 million smartphones in 2022 and held a market share of 21.6%. Samsung was followed by Apple in 2nd place with 226.4 million shipments and an 18.8% market share. The third spot on the podium was earned by Xiaomi after it recorded 153.1 million smartphone shipments throughout 2022 and captured a global market share of 12.7%.

Comparatively, Samsung shipped 272.1 million phones in 2021, while Apple and Xiaomi shipped 235.8 and 191 million units, respectively.

Apple captured the lead in Q4 2022 thanks to the latest iPhones

While Samsung maintained the lead in terms of market share and smartphone shipments in 2022, Apple came out on top in Q4, in particular. That's only natural, given that Q4 is Apple's best quarter thanks to the Cupertino giant releasing new iPhone models.

The iPhone 14 series helped Apple hold a 24.1% market share in Q4 2022. The company shipped 72.3 million phones in the final quarter of the year. Samsung was 2nd with 58.2 million shipments and a 19.4% market share. And Xiaomi was 3rd, recording 33.2 million shipments worldwide and accounting for 11% of the market.

Preliminary data from IDC suggests that the global smartphone market suffered its worst-ever decline of 11.3% in 2022. More so, worldwide shipments dropped by 18.3% year-on-year during the holiday quarter, when attractive deals and discounts usually help shipments grow. Total shipments in Q4 2022 for all OEMs combined dropped down to 300.3 million units.

Samsung will hopefully record higher smartphone sales in Q1 2023 compared to the previous quarter, as the company is preparing to unveil the Galaxy S23 flagship series on February 1. The tech giant will probably offer attractive pre-order deals and is already giving away $50 in Samsung Credit for people who register online for the device.

After the S22 series, the company is expected to announce mid-range devices, such as the Galaxy A54 5G, which may go on sale in March if history is any indication.