Samsung overtakes Apple as the world's leading smartphone supplier again

It's more about release cycles than popularity, but Samsung has indeed once again become the world's largest smartphone manufacturer. In September 2023, Apple occupied the top spot in global smartphone sales, and subsequent annual analysis confirmed its position. Apple has achieved similar success in specific regions such as Europe.

However, according to The Korea Times, the roles of the two parties have now been reversed. Based on data from February 2024, Samsung holds a 20% market share. Apple's share was 18% that month. This means that Apple sold 17.41 million iPhones, while Samsung sold 19.69 million.

Neither Samsung nor Apple can truly claim to be number one, although the two do not completely exchange positions according to a strict timeline, their performance is very close.

Therefore, the reason why Apple was able to top the list in September 2023 was due to the launch of the iPhone 15 series. The reason why Samsung was able to win in February was because its latest Galaxy S24 model was launched in February. According to The Korea Times, Samsung has sold 6.53 million Galaxy S24s so far.

Based on data from January 2024, Samsung's share in the US market increased from 20% to 36%. Meanwhile, Apple, which is in the post-holiday and post-listing cycle, dropped from 64% to 48%.

Apple's championship throughout 2023 may have greater significance. For the entire year, Samsung usually has an advantage over Apple in terms of overall sales because it sells a wide range of smartphone models that cater to different price points.

Overall, however, global smartphone sales are showing a downward trend, especially in China. According to the latest data from March 2024, Apple still tops the sales charts in Japan, but the market has also shown signs of shrinking.