Apple lost its top position to Samsung as iPhone sales decreased

In the first quarter of 2024, Apple experienced a significant drop in iPhone shipments globally, as reported by the International Data Corporation (IDC). The data revealed a decrease of 9.6% in sales, with only 50.1 million units shipped compared to 55.4 million units in the same quarter the previous year. This decline positioned Apple as the company with the largest decrease among the top 5 brands mentioned in the report.

The decline in Apple's shipments allowed Samsung to reclaim the top spot in the smartphone market, with a market share of 20.8% and a shipment of approximately 60.1 million units, similar to its performance in the previous year. This marks a significant shift from 2023 when Samsung's market share in the first quarter was only 22.5%.

Despite surpassing Samsung and becoming the largest smartphone maker last year, Apple saw its market share decrease from 20.7% to 17.3% in the first quarter of 2024. The struggle to attract users in China has been highlighted, particularly after the release of the iPhone 15 series, coinciding with Huawei's Mate 60 series launch.

Interestingly, while Apple faced challenges, the global smartphone market saw a 7.8% increase in sales in the first quarter, totaling 289.4 million units. This growth marked the third consecutive quarter of shipment growth in the global market, according to IDC.