Canalys: Apple was the world’s leading smartphone vendor for 2023

Apple overtook Samsung as the world’s leading smartphone vendor in Q4 taking home 24% of total shipments according to research firm Canalys. Cupertino also ended the year as the top vendor marking the first time it outpaced Samsung on the yearly basis. Smartphone shipments for Q4 2023 reached 320 million units, representing an 8 percentage point increase from Q4 2022.

Q4 2023 was also the first quarter with positive growth after seven consecutive quarters of decline. Canalys estimates 1.1 billion smartphone shipments for 2023 which would be a 4 percentage point decrease from the values for 2022.

In Q4 2023, Apple led the way with 24% of all shipments thanks to robust demand for its iPhone 15 series. Samsung came in second with 17% of the market but lost share in the low-end segment. Xiaomi (13%) came in third place while Transsion (9%) continued its rise and ended the quarter as the fourth leading smartphone vendor. Vivo (7%) rounded out the top five.

Worldwide smartphone market share split (Canalys preliminary smartphone market pulse: Q4 2023)

Canalys analysts suggest the demand rebound was fueled by markets in the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Low and midrange devices in particular served as the key growth drivers. Looking ahead, Canalys expects on-device AI to be the main focus for high-end devices launched in 2024 with the major players trying to support their goals of capturing more market demand.

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