Apple Leads Smartphone Shipment Market Share Last Year, Samsung Second... 0.7% Difference

Apple was ranked first in the global smartphone market last year based on shipment volume.

Customers visiting the Apple Store in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul are looking at products. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Foreign media, citing preliminary data from market research firm IDC, reported on the 13th (local time) that Apple took first place with an 18.7% market share based on last year's shipment volume, followed by Samsung Electronics with 18%. Chinese company Xiaomi came next with 13.6%.

Among the top five smartphone brands, Apple and Samsung Electronics saw their shipment volumes decrease by 0.9% and 1.4% respectively last year. In contrast, Xiaomi showed the fastest growth with a 15.4% increase in shipment volume last year.

Apple and Samsung Electronics also recorded a slight decline in smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of last year.

Samsung Electronics' fourth-quarter shipments decreased by 2.7% to 51.7 million units, while Apple's shipments fell by 4.1% to 76.9 million units. Xiaomi's shipments increased by 4.8% during this period.

The global smartphone market rebounded significantly after two years of decline. The aggressive sales of low-priced models by Chinese companies such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Honor had a major impact, rapidly dominating the domestic Chinese market.

Nabila Popal, Senior Research Director at IDC, said, "We remain optimistic about continued growth in 2025, but the new tariff hike threats from the U.S. Trump administration have increased uncertainty across the industry."

Chinese companies, supported by demand for low- and mid-range models, expanded their presence across Europe and Africa, accounting for 56% of global smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of last year. This is the highest quarterly market share ever recorded.

Anthony Scarsella, Research Director at IDC, said, "While foldable phones continue to grow in some regions, overall market demand has declined," adding that companies have begun shifting research and design costs to other areas.