The fourth quarter (Q4) of last year saw an 8% year-over-year gain in global smartphone shipments to 320 million units, snapping a seven-quarter decrease.
In the quarter, Apple surpassed Samsung to take the top rank, according to Canalys Research.
Toby Zhu, Senior Analyst at Canalys, noted in a statement that the mid-to-low range smartphone industry is expanding and that demand for smartphones was better during the holidays.
In addition, Zhu mentioned a “rebound in demand” in emerging countries, such as those in the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
According to the analyst, vendors may now focus more on strategy innovations and innovation as “inventory pressure” and inflation decrease.
With a 24 percent market share, Apple took the lead for the first time, surpassing Samsung’s 17 percent.
The broader positioning of the iPhone 15 series has helped the iPhone maker maintain its resilience over the last two years, according to Amber Liu, Research Manager at Canalys.
However, she cautioned that the intense competition in China poses a threat to the company’s ability to grow steadily.
In that order, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Transsion received 13%, 9%, and 8% of the market, respectively.
Zhu also mentioned the Google Pixel and “several Chinese vendors” as examples of new Android flagship models that profit from the “on-device AI trend.”
Shipments for the entire year dropped 4% to 1.1 billion units.
