Samsung, after more than ten years of leading the global smartphone market, has been overtaken by its rivals. In 2023, Apple, a leading technology company from the United States, achieved the top position, surpassing Samsung.
This is based on the latest market share data reported by Canalys and IDC. Two top research firms have declared Apple as the dominant leader in the smartphone market, despite some variations in their published data. It is understandable because the survey methodology or data calculation and samples obtained are different, although not significantly.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, Apple dominated the smartphone market with an impressive market share of 24%, as reported by Canalys data. In total, cellphone shipments in the 4th quarter reached 320 million units, an increase of 8 percent compared to 2022.
According to IDC data, the company based in Cupertino secured an impressive market share of 24.7% in the fourth quarter of 2023. Total cellphone shipments in Q4 were 326.1 million units. For the entire year 2023, the market share achieved by Apple is 20.1%, only a difference of 1 point compared to Samsung, namely 19.4%.
Also Read: IDC: 4G Cellphone Sales Will Still Support the Indonesian Smartphone Market in Q2 2023
Tight Competition from Samsung and Apple
These two smartphone brands compete fiercely in the market. According to IDC data, the Cupertino-based company shipped 234.6 million smartphones last year, with a market share of 20.1%. Meanwhile, Samsung managed to make 226.6 million shipments with a 19.4% market share.
In 2023 itself, Apple will launch their flagship device, the iPhone 15 Series. Then Samsung launched two flagship smartphone series, namely the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series and the folding smartphone Galaxy Z Flip5/Fold5. In addition, Samsung has bolstered its position with the midrange Galaxy A Series smartphones. However, it still falls short of the strength of Apple, which solely focuses on the flagship segment.
In In third place is Xiaomi with 145.9 million unit shipments and 12.5% market share. After that, Oppo came next, shipping 103.1 million units, accounting for 8.8% of the market. Transsion followed with 94.9 million units shipped, making up 8.1% of the market.
Several smartphone brands included in this ranking have launched their best devices in 2023. Transsion itself is a company that oversees three brands, namely Infinix, Telco and Itel. These three brands have also entered the Indonesian market and have many fans.
Compared with 2022, Apple’s shipments grew 3.7%, and Transsion’s grew 30.8%. On the other hand, Samsung shipments fell 13.6% year over year, Xiaomi fell 4.7%, and Oppo fell 9.9%. If we look at the market in total, shipments are down 3.2% in 2023 compared to 2022.
The company’s wins may be more visible in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023. In the fourth quarter of 2023 (October to December), Apple is number one with 80.5 million shipments and a market share of 24.7%. Samsung shipped 53 million units, making up 16.3% of the market, while Xiaomi shipped 40.7 million units, accounting for a 12.5% market share.coincidentally that is the exact same percentage as the percentage for the entire year.
In Q4 there was no sign of OPPO, but the company will still gain rankings throughout 2023. Meanwhile, Transsion is fourth with 28.2 million shipments and 8.6% market share.
Meanwhile, in fifth place is Vivo with 24.1 million shipments and 7.5% market share. Overall the market grew in Q4 2023 by 8.5% compared to Q4 2022.
Looking at the growth from 2022 to 2023 in the smartphone industry, it is possible that there will be another increase in 2024. In Indonesia itself, POCO was seen starting its movement at the beginning of the year, currently Samsung is preparing a line of their flagship devices. So no one knows whether Apple will still be in the lead this year, let’s see what surprises will happen this year.
The Indonesian version of this article can be read in Gizmologi.ID
