In 2024, Apple has defended global leadership in the smartphone business, with a market share of 18.7%, with more than 232.1 million iPhones sold over the last twelve months. The percentage of participation in the industry as a whole shows a decrease of 1.4 percentage points, compared to the share of 20.1% at the end of 2023, which is equivalent to a drop of just 0.9%. Samsung, number two in the market, has experienced worse luck, with a share of 18%, which represents a decrease of 1.4%, down to 1.5 percentage points. In total, the South Korean manufacturer sold 223.4 million Galaxy during 2024.
Unlike previous manufacturers, Xiaomi ended last year with growth in sales, climbing to a market share of 13.6%, after shipping 168.5 million of its mobile phones, with a year-on-year growth of 15.4%. . The surprise of 2024 was carried out by Transsion, the fourth manufacturer in the world ranking, with a share of 8.6% and more than 106.9 million smartphones sold, very close to the also Chinese Oppo, with a share of 8.5% and more of 104.8 million mobile phones sold, 1.4% more than the figure from twelve months ago.
Francisco Jerónimo, vice president of EMEA Client Devices, IDC, explained that “the last quarter was especially notable for the largest Chinese smartphone vendors: Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor, Huawei, Lenovo, realme, Transsion, TCL and ZTE. They achieved a historic milestone by shipping the highest combined volume ever achieved in a quarter, representing 56% of global smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter.” In his opinion, “Although their main markets remain China and Asia, these brands are rapidly expanding their footprint throughout Europe and Africadriven by the good performance of its low and mid-range devices. “In particular, Huawei stands out, with the majority of its shipments in the high-end and premium segments, underscoring its clear market positioning in China.”
On the other hand, IDC experts perceive a decrease in demand for foldable devices in the market, Despite intensified promotions and marketing, manufacturers have begun to divert R&D away from foldable devices as consumer interest remains weak. Additionally, numerous vendors are prioritizing new advances in AI at the expense of foldables, as AI appears in more and more devices, especially at the top tier of the market thanks to GenAI,” according to Anthony Scarsella, director of client device research at IDC.
After two difficult years for the sector, 2024 consolidates the recovery of a business that, according to preliminary data from the Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker by International Data Corporation (IDC), has managed to increase global shipments of smartphones by 2.4% year-on-year. up to 331.7 million units in the fourth quarter of 2024.
In fact, this is the sixth consecutive quarter of growth in sales, allowing us to close the year with a growth of 6.4% and 1,240 million shipments to commercial device distributors. IDC experts expect “the market to continue growing in 2025, albeit at a slower pace, as renewal cycles continue to grow and pent-up demand is met.”
Nabila Popal, Senior Research Director, Worldwide Client Devices, IDC noted that “the strong growth seen in 2024 demonstrates the resilience of the smartphone market, as it occurred despite persistent macro challenges, currency concerns in emerging markets, ongoing inflation and tepid demand.” The same expert added, through a statement, that “manufacturers have successfully adjusted their strategies to drive growth by focusing on promotions, launching devices in multiple price segments, interest-free financing plans and aggressive exchanges, which has driven premiumization and boosted low-end devices, especially in China and emerging markets. Although we remain optimistic about continued growth in 2025, the threat of new and higher tariffs from the new US administration has raised uncertainty. in throughout the industry, leading some actors to seek preventative measures to mitigate risks; however, so far, the impact has been minimal.
Although Apple and Samsung maintained the top two positions in the fourth quarter and for the year, both companies saw year-over-year declines and their shares fell thanks to the extremely aggressive growth of Chinese suppliers this year, which boosted the overall market by focusing on high-end devices. low and rapidly expanding and developing in China. Aside from Apple and Samsung, Xiaomi ranked third for the quarter and year, with the highest year-on-year growth rate among the top five operators. Transsion was fourth, but tied with Vivo in the quarter and with OPPO in the year, as competition between the three intensified.
On the other hand, and according to the same sources, the fourth quarter of 2024 was especially notable for the largest Chinese smartphone sellers: Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor, Huawei, Lenovo, realme, Transsion, TCL and ZTE. They achieved a historic milestone by shipping the highest combined volume ever achieved in a quarter, representing 56% of global smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter,” said Francisco Jerónimo, vice president of EMEA Client Devices, IDC. “While their core markets remain being China and Asia, these brands are rapidly expanding their footprint across Europe and Africa, driven by the good performance of their low and mid-range devices. “In particular, Huawei stands out, with the majority of its shipments in the high-end and premium segments, underscoring its clear market positioning in China.”
“Despite continued growth in several regions, we have seen a decline in demand for foldable devices in the market, despite increased promotions and marketing,” said Anthony Scarsella, director of client device research at IDC. “Manufacturers have begun to divert R&D away from foldable devices as consumer interest remains weak. Additionally, many vendors are prioritizing new advancements in AI at the expense of foldables as AI “It appears in more and more devices, especially in the upper echelon of the market thanks to Generative artificial intelligence.”
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