
Apple is closing 2024 with a 27.7% smartphone market share, 4.5% more than rival Samsung, according to data from Stocklytics.com.
Apple and Samsung have been battling for the top position for nearly 15 years, with Samsung holding the lead for the majority of that time.
But in January 2023, Apple took the lead. Since then, Apple has stayed ahead, holding the largest share of the global smartphone market for two consecutive years.
According to data from Stat Counter, Apple hit a 27.7% market share in November, marking its 24th month as the leader in the smartphone market, following years of Samsung dominance.
Also, that is only 1.5% lower than Apple’s record 29.2% market share from December 2021. The Stat Counter data shows Apple’s market share has grown by 4.2% in the past decade, while Samsung has been ceding ground.
The Stat Counter data also shows Xiaomi now holds over 11% of global smartphone sales, over double what it had seven years ago.
Vivo, Oppo, and Realme follow with 5.9%, 5.7%, and 4.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, Huawei’s smartphone market share has fallen to 2.5%, a big drop from the 10% it held four years ago.
Another leading research firm, IDC, also posted some numbers last week on the global smartphone market. It found that global smartphone shipments increased 3.6% year-over-year to 314.6 million units in Q3 2024.
In the third quarter, Samsung shipped 57.7 million units, whereas Apple shipped 57 million units. While Samsung held a market share of 18.4% in the third quarter and Apple held 18.1%, Samsung’s volume of shipments reduced by 3% year-over-year, while Apple’s grew by 5%.
“Apple enjoyed a 5.3% YoY growth in shipments this quarter fueled by strong demand from the previous models and the launch of the new iPhone 16 lineup”, said Nabila Popal, research director for Worldwide Client Devices.
“In Q3 2024, older iPhone models, specifically the iPhone 15, performed exceptionally well due to the heavy promotions and increased marketing activities around Apple Intelligence. Despite the staggered rollout of Apple Intelligence in markets outside the US, Apple will continue to grow in the upcoming holiday season as it expects many customers to upgrade from the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 to a new AI-enabled smartphone, future-proofing their purchases for the long term.”