Preliminary data shows Apple has overtaken Samsung with the top global smartphone shipments for 2023, plus it's the only top three company with positive growth in the year.
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Samsung sells dozens of smartphones ranging from budget models to premium $2,000 foldables. This variety and price range is what has given Samsung the number one market share annually since 2010, until now.
According to data from the IDC, Apple has overtaken Samsung as the number one company based on market share of global smartphone shipments across 2023. Apple has a 20.1% market share for the year versus 19.4% for Samsung.
Among the top three -- Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi -- Apple is the only company to grow shipments year-over-year. It increased shipments from 226.3 million units to 234.6 million units.
"While we saw some strong growth from low-end Android players like Transsion and Xiaomi in the second half of 2023, stemming from rapid growth in emerging markets, the biggest winner is clearly Apple," said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC's Worldwide Tracker team. "Not only is Apple the only player in the Top 3 to show positive growth annually, but also bags the number 1 spot annually for the first time ever."
Diversification within Android smartphone shipments also contributed to Samsung losing the top position. Smartphone makers like Huawei, Honor, and OnePlus have competitive devices in lower price ranges.
Top 5 smartphone global shipments and market share 2023 vs 2022. Source: IDC
The smartphone market declined by 3.2% to 1.17 billion units shipped in 2023. However, growth in the second half of 2023 shows promise for a market recovery in 2024.
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup launched in September 2023, but most of the year was dominated by iPhone 14 sales. Despite taking the top spot in terms of market share in 2023, Apple's overall revenue has declined every quarter of 2023.