SAN FRANCISCO, United States: Samsung regained its position as the top smartphone seller, fighting back the lead from Apple as Chinese rivals close the gap on the two market leaders.
According to an industry tracker International Data Corporation (IDC) report issued on Monday, South Korea-based Samsung overtook Apple as global smartphone shipments grew nearly 8 percent in the first quarter of 2024 to 289.4 million.
The global smartphone market recorded the third consecutive quarter of growth, signaling that a recovery from a slump in the sector is underway, according to IDC.
Vice president IDC Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers team, Ryan Reith expected leading smartphone companies to gain share while small brands to struggle for position as recovery progresses.
In the first quarter of 2024, Samsung shipped 60.1 million smartphones, claiming nearly 21 percent of the market, the IDC figures revealed.
In the same period, Apple shipped 50.1m iPhones, just over 17 percent of the market share, IDC reported.
Apple recorded a 9.6 percent decline in a quarter-over-quarter comparison when it comes to smartphone shipments while Samsung shipments declined just less than one percent, according to the firm.
IDC reported meanwhile, China-based Xiaomi saw shipments swell about 33 percent to 40.8 million and Transsion about 85 percent to 28.5 million, taking third and fourth positions in the overall smartphone market.
The tracker expects Apple and Samsung to maintain their hold on the high end of the smartphone market while Chinese competitors as Xiaomi seek to increase sales, according to Vice president IDC.
