The global smartphone market rankings for 2023 have been released, with Apple topping the top spot for the first time, and this is also the first time Samsung has lost its top spot in 13 years.
While Apple's shipment volume is impressive, the industry holds a certain level of concern about its future development. At the same time, the global smartphone market is developing towards positive recovery and diversification.
△ Apple phone specialty store on the pedestrian street in Shenyang, Liaoning.
Why is Apple the top
According to IDC (International Data Corporation) data, in 2023, Apple surpassed Samsung to secure the top spot in the global smartphone market, and the last time Samsung was not at the top of the list was in 2010. This is not only Apple's first peak in many years, but its market share has also reached a historic high.
According to IDC data, Apple's market share in 2023 was approximately 20.1%, surpassing Samsung by a small margin, with the latter having a market share of approximately 19.4%. Among the top five mobile phone manufacturers, Chinese manufacturers have taken the last three seats. Among them, Xiaomi ranks third with a market share of 12.5%; OPPO ranks fourth with a market share of 8.8%; Transsion ranks fifth with a share of 8.1%.
Meanwhile, data from Canalys (an independent analytical firm) shows that Apple also led the world with a market share of 24% in the fourth quarter of 2023; Samsung ranks second with a market share of 17%; Xiaomi, Transsion, and Vivo ranked third, fourth, and fifth respectively.
Why can Apple surpass Samsung and become the world's number one?
Industry analysts believe that this can be attributed to the increasing growth of Apple's high-end devices.
Nabila Popal, Research Director of IDC's Global Tracking Team, stated that Apple is not only the only manufacturer in the top three to achieve positive growth every year, but also has won the annual first place for the first time. Despite facing increasing regulatory challenges and new competition from Huawei in its largest market, China, Apple has still achieved success. Apple's sustained success and resilience are largely attributed to the increasing growth of high-end devices, which currently account for over 20% of the market, driven by active trade in discounts and interest free financial installment plans.
Samsung also focused on the mid to high end market, but as a result, it lost its market share in the low-end market and thus lost its first place.
Canalys Research Manager Liu Yixuan stated: Due to the decline in the smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2023, the top two manufacturers are eager to find new growth drivers. In 2023, Samsung will focus on the mid to high end market to ensure profitability, but has lost its market share in the low-end market and its leading position in the global market. Its products launched in 2024, especially those focused on the high-end market of end-to-end AI devices and functions, will help it once again become an innovation leader in 2024 "
Canalys Senior Analyst Zhu Jiatao stated that Apple's shipment volume in 2023 surpassed Samsung mainly due to Samsung's decline in sales.
Industry still worries about Apple
Even though Apple's global shipment volume in 2023 is impressive, the mobile phone market and capital market still hold certain concerns about Apple's future development.
According to Canalys analysis, thanks to the sustained and stable demand in the high-end market, Apple has shown strong vitality in the past two years. The improvement in the positioning of iPhone 15 series products has pointed out the direction for Apple's future product strategy to cover a wider consumer group. However, when the demand for high-end replacement in other major markets such as North America and Europe tends to be stable, Huawei's resurgence in Chinese Mainland and local competition will pose a challenge to Apple's continued growth. In the new year, Apple must seek new market growth points and ecosystem advantages to revitalize the iPhone business.
In the capital market, Apple's stock rating has also been downgraded three times since the beginning of 2024.
Recently, analysts at Redburn Atlantic Securities stated that the upward potential of Apple's stock price in the coming years will be very limited, so the rating of Apple's stock has been downgraded from "buy" to "neutral".
Previously, Piper Sandler's analysts also downgraded Apple's rating to "neutral" and stated that Apple's smartphone sales growth rate has reached its peak, and expressed concerns about smartphone inventory in the first half of 2024; In addition, Apple has also been bearish by Barclays analysts, with its stock rating downgraded from "held" to "undervalued.".
Global smartphone market development is optimistic
The global smartphone market shipment volume in the fourth quarter of 2023 increased year-on-year, but this indicator decreased year-on-year throughout 2023.
According to Canalys data, in the fourth quarter of 2023, global smartphone market shipments increased by 8% year-on-year, reaching 320 million units, ending seven consecutive quarters of decline.
The battle at the turning point of the mobile phone market has already begun. According to IDC data, global smartphone shipments in 2023 decreased by 3.2% year-on-year to 1.17 billion units, the lowest annual shipment in 10 years, mainly affected by macroeconomic challenges and an increase in inventory levels at the beginning of the year. But the growth of this indicator in the second half of the year consolidated the expected recovery in 2024.
The industry still holds an optimistic attitude towards the development of the smartphone market.
Zhu Jiatao believes that due to the mild market demand during the holiday season, the market is developing in a positive direction. He believes that products in the mid to low end price range are the main driving force behind the wave of smartphone recovery, while there is also a rebound in demand in emerging markets such as the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Meanwhile, with the further easing of inventory pressure and global inflation, manufacturers can focus on product innovation and long-term development strategies, laying a solid foundation for 2024.
Ryan Reith, Vice President of Global Mobile and Consumer Device Tracking Services at IDC, stated that the overall changes in market rankings further highlight the intensity of competition in the smartphone market. Apple's rapid development is clearly one of the reasons for Samsung's decline in ranking, but the entire Android market is diversifying. Huawei returns and quickly makes progress in the Chinese market; Brands such as OnePlus, Honor, and Google are launching highly competitive devices at low prices in the high-end market, and discussions about foldable phones and smartphone AI features are also increasing. Overall, the smartphone industry is moving towards an exciting era.
