Apple overtakes Samsung in telephones gross sales worldwide | EUROtoday

Samsung’s grip on the smartphone crown lasted so lengthy that it appeared unbreakable. The South Korean tech large achieved 14 unbroken years because the world’s prime shipper by quantity.

That sample, nevertheless, was lastly damaged as Apple reclaimed the quantity‑one spot final yr. According to full-year knowledge from the Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research, Apple achieved a 20% share of worldwide shipments, versus Samsung’s 19%.

Yes, it is razor-close, however some analysts consider this might mark the start of a sustained restoration for the iPhone maker, whose aggressive edge had been eroded by Chinese rivals and customers retaining older telephones for longer.

Apple targets mid-range telephone consumers

While Samsung is steering additional into the premium finish of the smartphone market, Apple is transferring in the other way, pushing into the mid-range for the primary time in years with lower-priced fashions geared toward successful over price-sensitive Android customers.

With the North American and European markets now saturated, Yang Wang, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, sees the hole between Apple and Samsung widening additional because the iPhone maker expands its vary of mid-tier telephones to fulfill rising demand in rising markets like India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

“[Apple] already dominates the premium end of the market. If they want to increase shipments, they have to go lower,” Wang advised DW. “If you want to go after these markets, you can’t expect everyone to afford a $1,200 [€1,025] iPhone 17 Pro.”

New iPhone 17 debuts at pivotal second

With 10% year-on-year development, in comparison with Samsung’s 5%, Apple’s fourth quarter was its highest ever. The new iPhone 17 collection drove a lot of that momentum, impressing consumers with a notable efficiency leap and a daring redesign, together with a headline-grabbing Cosmic Orange end on Pro fashions.

That quarter noticed Apple account for round 25% of all international smartphone shipments, in keeping with Counterpoint, marking its strongest efficiency ever in a single three-month span.

As nicely because the pivot to rising markets, Apple surprisingly benefited from fears over US President Donald Trump’s tariff menace on China and different nations within the iPhone provide chain. At one level, the proposed new levies threatened 30% to 40% value will increase and induced a rush of early shopping for. A parallel surge in long-overdue telephone replacements added additional momentum.

Millions improve growing older telephones

During the pandemic, international smartphone shipments surged as lockdowns drove distant work and the necessity for higher connectivity. This created a brief spike in demand, with hundreds of thousands of customers shopping for new telephones forward of their regular schedule.

But the surge led to a subsequent lull, with alternative cycles stretching to three or 4 years or extra. By final yr, that pent-up demand hit an inflection level, with COVID-era consumers lastly needing to switch their outdated fashions simply because the iPhone 17 went on sale in September and earlier fashions bought cheaper.

“We’ve been seeing record levels of holdout periods across the world, but the tide is changing now — iPhone users are starting to think it is the right time to upgrade,” Wang mentioned.

US sanctions give Apple a China enhance

Apple additionally continued to profit in China from US sanctions on Huawei, which lower the home rival off from superior chip provides, forcing a collapse in gross sales of its premium‑tier telephones. As China’s smartphone market contracted sharply between 2021 and 2023, Apple grew to become the nation’s prime premium model, helped by former Huawei customers upgrading to iPhones.

“Apple has been relatively resilient despite how the total [Chinese] market has been doing,” Bryan Ma, vice chairman of units analysis at IDC, a number one tech market insights agency, advised DW. “They got some windfall from the fact that Huawei was absent in China and were able to pick up some of that premium position.”

IDC’s personal knowledge displays an ongoing tussle between Apple and Samsung for the highest spot, with the US tech large taking the lead in 2023.

Could a foldable iPhone be subsequent?

Despite Huawei’s sharp rebound in China final yr — sufficient to reclaim the highest spot there — Apple can be rumored to be making ready its personal foldable telephones, transferring into an space the place Huawei is already energetic and which, Ma famous, has captivated Chinese customers.

“If Apple really does roll out a foldable and makes it available in China, that becomes a very powerful combination that can help put them in a good position [for more growth],” he added.

Apple should nonetheless navigate essentially the most aggressive smartphone market on this planet. Alongside Huawei, Chinese rivals launch new fashions much more steadily than Samsung and Apple. Brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are identified for budget-friendly telephones and options like super-fast charging and high-resolution cameras.

“The Chinese market is extremely competitive and consumers are very picky,” Wang mentioned. “If companies don’t innovate, they disappear.”

Counterpoint Research argues that 2026 is unlikely to be a robust yr for the smartphone market general, with decrease shipments resulting from rising reminiscence prices and stress on mid-tier producers.

Apple bets large on AI

But IDC’s Ma argues that the iPhone maker may nonetheless strengthen its place if its long-promised synthetic intelligence (AI) improve lands nicely. Apple Intelligence, launched two years in the past, is the agency’s on-device AI system that makes Siri smarter, affords extra customized strategies and handles many duties immediately on the telephone as an alternative of sending them to the cloud.

“Tim Cook has publicly said, ‘We’re going to be rolling out the new, improved Siri early ’26.’ A lot is resting on how well they deliver on that,” Ma mentioned.

Edited by: Rob Mudge