Apple’s smartphone shipments plunged about 10% in the first quarter of the year, hurt by intensifying competition from Android smartphone makers, leaving the top spot to South Korea’s Samsung, data shows Sunday by the research firm IDC.
Global smartphone shipments increased 7.8% to 289.4 million units between January and March, with Samsung claiming a 20.8% market share and clinching the top spot among phone makers ahead of Apple.
The iPhone maker’s sharp sales decline comes after its strong performance in the December quarter, when it overtook Samsung as the world’s No. 1 phone maker. It returns to second place, with a market share of 17.3%, while Chinese brands like Huawei are gaining market share.
Xiaomi, a leading Chinese smartphone manufacturer, occupied the third position with a market share of 14.1% in the first quarter of 2024.
South Korea’s Samsung, which launched its latest flagship smartphone line – the Galaxy S24 series – earlier this year, shipped more than 60 million phones during the period.
Data provider Counterpoint previously said that global sales of Galaxy S24 smartphones jumped 8% compared to last year’s Galaxy S23 series during their first three weeks of availability.
According to IDC, Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones in the first quarter, compared to 55.4 million units shipped during the same period last year.
Apple’s smartphone shipments in China decreased by 2.1% in the final quarter of 2023 compared to the previous year.
The decline underscores the challenges facing the U.S. company in its third-largest market, as some Chinese companies and government agencies limit their employees’ use of Apple devices — a move reflecting U.S. government restrictions on Chinese apps .
Cupertino, a California-based company, will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, where it will highlight software updates powering iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices.
Investors are closely watching updates on Apple’s artificial intelligence development. The company has said little about integrating AI technology into its devices. Earlier this year, it lost the crown as the world’s most valuable company to Microsoft.
