pple has lost its spot as the world’s biggest mobile phone seller, IDC reported today, April 15. A steep drop in sales in China for Apple let South Korean rival Samsung retake the lead in global market share.
Samsung had been the biggest global seller of mobile phones for 12 years until the end of 2023, when sales of Apple’s iPhone models overtook Samsung’s sales.
Global smartphone shipments increased by 8% to 289.4 million units during January-March, according to IDC. Samsung had a 20.8% market share. That beat Apple’s 17.3% share.
IDC said that Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones in the first quarter, down from the 55.4 million units it shipped in the same period last year.
Apple’s sales in China have dropped as the Chinese government has moved to ban phones made by foreign companies from workplaces in China. Local rivals including Xiaomi and Huawei with lower selling prices have put pressure on both Apple and Samsung.
Xiaomi, China’s top smartphone maker, occupied the third position with a global market share of 14.1% during the first quarter.
Apple reports evenings on May 2. Wall Street is expecting Apple to earn $1.50 a share for the quarter, down from $1.52 in 2023.
Apple shares were down 2.19% today. They are now down 8.18% for 2024 and 4.91% lower in the last three months.
