Samsung retains lead while rivals from China lose ground in their home market

Although the global smartphone market's sell-through dropped 5% quarter-on-quarter and 8% year-on-year in the April-June period, the market shares of the five largest OEMs were roughly the same as a year ago.

Samsung's market share remains unchanged at 22%, whereas Apple increased its share in Q2 2023 from 16% a year ago to 17%. Xiaomi had 12% of the market (instead of 13%), Oppo's share remained unchanged at 10%, and Vivo lost one point for a market share of 8%.

Market analysis suggests that Samsung's strongest performer globally was its Galaxy A series.

The premium smartphone segment grows

Although smartphone sales worldwide continued to decline in Q2 2023, an interesting phenomenon happened where the premium segment ($600+ wholesale) became the only segment to grow during the three-month period. In fact, analysts say that the premium smartphone segment reached its highest-ever Q2 contribution to the global market.

Consumer replacement cycles are longer, and although the market appears to be “well past its rapid growth phase,” smartphone users hold on to their devices for longer. These changes may have created a slight market shift where consumers prefer more expensive but higher-quality phones.

While Samsung led the global market, researchers say Apple recorded its highest-ever Q2 market share. Interestingly enough, Xiaomi experienced challenges in its biggest markets — China and India, while Oppo performed better in these markets thanks to OnePlus. Vivo's growth also declined massively in China compared to a year ago, while in India and Southeast Asia, it faced strong competition from Samsung and Oppo.