Apple Rules, Samsung Drools: iPhone Leads 2023 Smartphone Market

According to the data released by IDC, the top five global smartphone brands in 2023 were Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Transsion. Apple emerged as the brand with the highest global shipment volume in 2023, reaching 234.6 million units, marking a 3.7% increase from the 226.3 million units shipped in 2022. In contrast, Samsung’s shipment volume in 2023 was 226.6 million units, a decrease from 262.2 million units in 2022.

“The overall shift in ranking at the top of the market further highlights the intensity of competition within the smartphone market,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. “Apple certainly played a part in Samsung’s drop in rank, but the overall Android space is diversifying within itself. Huawei is back and making inroads quickly within China, Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high end. And foldables and increased discussions around AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction. Overall, the smartphone space is headed towards a very interesting time.”

Regarding Apple’s performance, IDC observed that despite the rise in shipments by Android manufacturers like Transsion and Xiaomi in emerging markets during the second half of 2023, Apple remained the best-performing brand of the year. Apple was the only manufacturer among the top three to consistently increase its annual shipments, despite growing competition in the Chinese market. Apple’s continued success in the smartphone domain is largely attributed to the growing trend of high-end devices, with premium models now accounting for over 20% of the market, spurred by trade-in offers and interest-free deals.