- IDC preliminary data reveals that Apple sold the most smartphones in 2023.
- This means Samsung has been unseated for the first time since 2010.
- Makers of Tecno, Infinix and itel smartphones Transsion is the only Android smartphone manufacturer on IDC’s chart to have seen positive growth in shipments during 2023.
We’ve been curious as to why Samsung was hosting its Unpacked event so early in the year and data from the IDC may hold a clue.
According to the analysis firm, Samsung is no longer the brand shipping the most smartphones and Apple has become number one. The Cupertino Colossus reportedly shipped 234.6 million units accounting for 20.1 percent of all smartphones shipped in 2023. Samsung meanwhile only shipped 226.6 million units, a 13.6 percent decline compared to 2022.
The only Android smartphone manufacturer in the top five that saw an increase in sales was Transsion, the firm behind Tecno, Infinix and itel smartphones. These smartphone are usually more affordable and given the state of economies around the globe, it makes sense the firm saw shipments improve by 30.8 percent.
| Company | 4Q23 Shipments | 4Q23 Market Share | 4Q22 Shipments | 4Q22 Market Share | 4Q23/4Q22 Growth |
| 1. Apple | 80.5 | 24.7% | 72.1 | 24.0% | 11.6% |
| 2. Samsung | 53.0 | 16.3% | 59.5 | 19.8% | -10.9% |
| 3. Xiaomi | 40.7 | 12.5% | 33.2 | 11.0% | 22.7% |
| 4. Transsion | 28.2 | 8.6% | 16.7 | 5.6% | 68.6% |
| 5. vivo | 24.1 | 7.4% | 22.9 | 7.6% | 5.1% |
| Others | 99.5 | 30.5% | 96.1 | 32.0% | 3.5% |
| TOTAL | 326.1 | 100.0% | 300.6 | 100.0% | 8.5% |
“While we saw some strong growth from low-end Android players like Transsion and Xiaomi in the second half of 2023, stemming from rapid growth in emerging markets, the biggest winner is clearly Apple,” said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team.
“Not only is Apple the only player in the Top 3 to show positive growth annually, but also bags the number 1 spot annually for the first time ever. All this despite facing increased regulatory challenges and renewed competition from Huawei in China, its largest market. Apple’s ongoing success and resilience is in large part due to the increasing trend of premium devices, which now represent over 20% of the market, fueled by aggressive trade-in offers and interest-free financing plans,” Popal added.
While the IDC is only one body and these numbers are only preliminary figures and may change, Samsung has likely taken note that 2023 wasn’t its best year. The firm has been on a steady push to make foldable smartphones more popular but that seemingly hasn’t worked out as planned.
While we don’t doubt that some are enchanted by folding screens, the price of the Galaxy Flip and Fold places it squarely in iPhone territory which is arguably less of a risky buy than a Samsung foldable with a delicate display.
With that having been said, Samsung is still a major player in the smartphone market with its 53 million units shipped and with a new Galaxy S series being announced this week, the manufacturer has a chance to genuinely impress prospective buyers.
The firm is touting Galaxy AI in the build-up to this week’s Unpacked event and we’re interested to see what that is. We know AI is becoming as ho-hum as NFTs with everybody jumping on the bandwagon but if the technology improves the user experience, that could help set Samsung apart from Apple.
Let’s see what Samsung announces on Wednesday and whether it will be enough to claw back that top spot on the IDC’s charts.
