APPLE OVERTAKES SAMSUNG AS WORLD’S TOP SMARTPHONE SELLER – iPhone maker ends South Korean rival’s 12-year lead

The US technology company’s iPhone for the first time became the world’s biggest selling smartphone after its South Korean rival’s 12-year run as leader, data showed.

According to data from the International Data Corporation released this week, the iPhone stole Samsung’s crown in 2023 with 234.6m units sold, compared with the South Korean company’s 226.6m units.

The US tech company commanded a 20.1% market share ahead of Samsung’s 19.4%, the IDC said.

The sales data came before the latest release of Samsung models expected at an event in California on Wednesday.

Analysts from the closely watched market tracker said Apple’s rise was due to the success of premium devices such as the iPhone.

They also pointed to an increasingly fragmented market for smartphones that run on the Android operating system, citing low-end Samsung rivals such as Transsion and Xiaomi as well as Honor and Google.

The success of Huawei’s well-received offerings in China also had an effect on Samsung’s drop in sales, the IDC said.

According to IDC, global smartphone shipments declined 3.2% to 1.17bn units in 2023, though the group said the industry was recovering after a sluggish period.