Samsung has been the world's biggest smartphone brand for more than a decade. However, its reign came to an end last year, as Apple overtook Samsung as the world's biggest smartphone brand in 2023. The iPhone maker shipped 234.6 million smartphones and acquired a 20.1% share of the market.
According to the latest numbers from market research firm IDC, Samsung shipped 226.6 million Galaxy smartphones in 2023, accounting for a 19.4% share of the market. That's a 13.6% drop compared to its shipments from 2022 (262.2 million). Samsung had a bad year overall, but its smartphone business did pretty well in terms of profit, thanks to the company's focus on high-end smartphones like the Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Z Fold 5. The overall smartphone market dropped 3.2% in 2023 compared to the year earlier. However, 2024 could be a good year for Samsung, as it is reportedly confident of shipping more Galaxy S24 units than it did with the Galaxy S23 series last year. The company is also expected to launch the massively improved Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 later this year.
It is commendable to see Apple increase its shipments by 3.7% despite it being a bad year for the smartphone market. The company shipped the iPhone 15 series with a new screen design for the non-Pro models and a titanium design for the Pro models in the lineup.
Xiaomi was the third-biggest smartphone brand in 2023, with a 12.5% share of the market and shipments crossing the 146 million mark. Its shipments, too, dropped by 4.7% compared to the year earlier. Even OPPO's shipments dropped close to 10% in 2023, and it ranked fourth overall. Transsion, the firm that owns smartphone brands Infinix, Itel, and Tecno, saw a massive jump of 30.8% in shipments. The company shipped close to 95 million smartphones in 2023.
Ryan Reith, Group Vice President with IDC's Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers, said, “The overall shift in ranking at the top of the market further highlights the intensity of competition within the smartphone market. Apple certainly played a part in Samsung's drop in rank, but the overall Android space is diversifying within itself. Huawei is back and making inroads quickly within China, Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high end. And foldables and increased discussions around AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction. Overall, the smartphone space is headed towards a very interesting time.”
The Galaxy S23 series was a hit, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra was its best variant. You can have its long-term review in our video below.
