In a significant market shift, Apple’s iPhone has surpassed Samsung’s devices, clinching the title of the world’s best-selling smartphone in 2023. According to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), Apple recorded 234.6 million iPhone shipments, securing a 20.1% global market share and marking the first time Samsung lost the top spot since 2010. Samsung experienced a 13.6% slump in smartphone shipments, reaching 226.6 million units with a 19.4% market share. China’s Xiaomi claimed the third spot with 145.9 million shipments, contributing to a 12.5% market share.
IDC’s research director, Nabila Popal, emphasized Apple’s resilience and success, attributing it to the increasing trend of premium devices, constituting over 20% of the market. Apple’s positive growth, despite regulatory challenges and renewed competition from Huawei in China, showcases its ability to cope better than competitors with industrywide declines in the past two years. The global smartphone market faced a 3.2% year-on-year decline in shipments to 1.17 billion units in 2023, the lowest in a decade, but a recovery is expected in 2024, driven by emerging market growth, increased consumer spending, higher average selling prices, and the integration of generative artificial intelligence devices. Apple’s recent achievement extends beyond smartphones, as the company also claims the world’s most valuable brand title, valued at $516.6 billion, surpassing Amazon.