The latest market intelligence data indicates that worldwide iPhone market share grew year-on-year in the first quarter of the year – but that Apple lost its number-one position to Samsung.
That summary isn’t quite comparing Apples to Samsungs, as it’s mixing a comparison of quarterly and annual changes …
Canalys data indicates that on an annual basis, Apple’s market share increased from 18% to 21%, while Samsung’s share fell from 24% to 22%. In that picture, both companies retained their existing positions in the rankings, but with the Cupertino company gaining on its Korean rival.
However, on a quarterly basis, iPhone market share fell from 25% to 21%, while Samsung’s slice grew from 20% to 22%.
Samsung was the only leading vendor to achieve a quarter-on-quarter recovery and struggled back to number one with a 22% market share. Meanwhile, Apple dropped to second place with a 21% market share, narrowing the gap between itself and Samsung, driven by solid demand for its iPhone 14 Pro series in Q1 2023.
The quarterly bump and fallback for Apple is, of course, business as usual. The holiday quarter encompasses the launch of the new iPhones, creating a big boost in sales, with a significant fall-off in the following quarter. The effects this year were smaller than usual, as the Cupertino company was still catching up on iPhone orders in Q1 after its supply constraints in Q4.
Overall, Canalys says that demand for smartphones continues to fall.
The global smartphone market experienced a fifth consecutive quarter of decline, falling by 12% year-on-year in Q1 2023. Despite limited improvements in major unfavorable macro factors, the market is yet to recover […]
“The smartphone market’s decline in the first quarter of 2023 was within expectations throughout the industry,” said Canalys Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia. “The local macroeconomic conditions continued to hinder vendors’ investments and operations in several markets. Despite price cuts and heavy promotions from vendors, consumer demand remained sluggish, particularly in the low-end segment due to high inflation affecting consumer confidence and spending.”
The company adds that retailers have cut orders below consumer demand levels, as they were previously caught out with excess stock. They’ve now been working through existing stock, so needing fewer new orders.
Photo: Thai Nguyen/Unsplash
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