According to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) worldwide quarterly mobile phone tracker, global smartphone shipments declined by 3.2% year over year in 2023. On a positive note, Q4 2023 saw an 8.5% year-over-year growth, laying the foundation for the expected recovery in 2024.
The report suggests that worldwide smartphone shipments in 2023 reached the lowest full-year volume of 1.17 billion units in a decade, attributed to macroeconomic challenges and elevated inventory early in the year.
Worldwide Smartphone Shipments 2023
Apple led the market in Q4 as well as whole year, shipping a total of 234.6 million units with 20.1% market share. Apple bags the number 1 spot annually for the first time, despite challenges from HUAWEI in China. Following Apple is Samsung with total of 226.6 million units and 19.4% market share.
Xiaomi, OPPO, and Transsion Holding secured the next spots with market shares of 12.5%, 8.8%, and 8.1%, respectively. Low-end OEMs like Xiaomi and Transsion Holding had a robust performance in the second half of 2023, driven by rapid growth in emerging markets.
The overall intensity of competition in the smartphone market is rising, all thanks to HUAWEI’s resurgence in China. Due to this, Chinese brands like OnePlus, OPPO, and HONOR are compelled to launch very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high-end in China. The 2024 market is set to see some competitive devices with AI capabilities.