On January 15th local time, according to data from technology market research firm IDC, global smartphone shipments in 2023 decreased by 3.2% year-on-year to 1.17 billion units. Among them, Apple surpassed Samsung for the first time to become the world's largest shipping company.
IDC stated that due to macroeconomic challenges and an increase in inventory at the beginning of the year, 2023 experienced the lowest annual shipment growth rate in the global smartphone market in a decade, but the growth in the second half of the year consolidated the expected recovery in 2024. The market performance improved slightly in the fourth quarter, with a year-on-year increase of 8.5% in shipment volume to 326 million units, higher than the expected 7.3%.
In 2023, the top five manufacturers in terms of global smartphone shipments, market share, and year-on-year growth were Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Transsion. Among them, only Apple and Transsion achieved year-on-year growth in their annual shipments, while other brands experienced varying degrees of contraction in their shipments. In terms of global shipment market share, Apple and Transsion have also increased, while Samsung, Xiaomi, and OPPO have all decreased.
IDC
This is the first time Apple has taken the top spot in the global smartphone market, after Samsung had dominated the market share for many years. In 2023, Apple's annual shipment volume was approximately 235 million units, with a market share of 20.1%. But there are also hidden concerns about this situation.
Last September, Apple released a series of new products such as iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, but the market generally expressed concerns about the sales of these new iPhone products. As of September 30, 2023, in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2023, Apple's revenue decreased by 1% year-on-year to $89.5 billion; In the fiscal year 2023, the net sales of iPhones decreased by 2% year-on-year to $200.583 billion. According to an analyst report from investment bank Jefferies, iPhone sales in China decreased by 30% in the first week of 2024. Apple has recently been downgraded by institutions such as Barclays analysts.
On January 15th, the official website of Apple China announced a limited time discount from January 18th to 21st. Purchasing Apple designated products through eligible payment methods can save up to 800 yuan, with the iPhone saving up to 500 yuan. This is the first time in many years that Apple has lowered the price of a newly released phone on its official website.
However, data shows that Apple's situation in the smartphone market may not be as bad. Nabila Popal, Research Director of IDC's Global Tracker Team, said, "Apple is not only the only player among the top three with positive annual shipments, but also ranks first for the first time in history." IDC analysis shows that Apple's continued success and resilience are largely due to the growth trend of high-end devices, which currently have a market share of over 20%, thanks to trade in discounts and interest free installment plans.
In addition, thanks to the rapid growth of emerging markets, some Android manufacturers have also shown a strong growth trend in the second half of 2023. In the second half of 2023, Xiaomi will release a new generation of high-end smartphones, the Xiaomi14 series, with a starting price of 3999 yuan. Transsion, known as the "King of Africa," achieved strong performance growth in 2023. According to Transsion Holdings' performance forecast announcement on December 27, 2023, its operating revenue for 2023 was approximately 62.122 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 33.32%, and its net profit was approximately 5.493 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 121.15%.
According to IDC statistics, in the just concluded fourth quarter of 2023, among the top five global smartphone manufacturers in terms of shipment volume, except for Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, Transsion, and Vivo all achieved positive growth. Among them, Transsion's shipment volume increased by 68.6% year-on-year to 28.2 million units, while Xiaomi's shipment volume increased by 22.7% year-on-year to 40.7 million units. It performed well among Android manufacturers and also led the trend of market recovery.
IDC
Ryan Reith, Vice President of IDC's Global Mobile and Consumer Device Tracker Group, said, "The entire Android industry itself is diversifying. Huawei is returning and rapidly developing in China, with brands such as OnePlus, Honor, and Google launching highly competitive low-priced high-end products. Foldable devices and discussions around smartphone AI functionality are increasing. Overall, the smartphone industry is moving towards a very interesting era."