Samsung held a ** percent share of the global smartphone market in the first quarter of 2024. Apple followed closely behind, with an overall share of ** percent. The changing face of the smartphone market The make-up of the smartphone market has changed significantly since 2009. Nokia used to lead the industry with almost ** percent of the smartphone market share in 2007, and before the arrival of the iPhone, it was hard for consumers to imagine Nokia becoming a market outsider. Huawei's rise and fall have had a significant impact on the face of the market. Huawei consistently challenged Apple and Samsung for position at the top of the market, even leading it in the second quarter of 2020. Huawei has not appeared in the top five since the second quarter of 2021, largely as a result of trade restrictions. RIM’s Blackberry devices stand as an example of the effect large-display touchscreen devices had on the market. Blackberry devices sold on a number of strengths, including a well-designed physical QWERTY keyboard and secure enterprise integration. The Blackberry lost its unique value as touchscreen devices improved, leading to a significant decline in revenue. RIM eventually ceased development of the Blackberry in 2016.

Apple is one of the most influential and recognisable brands in the world, responsible for the rise of the smartphone with the iPhone. Valued at over $2 trillion in 2021, it is also the most valuable...

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Samsung shipped around 52 million smartphones, a decrease from the both the previous quarter and the same quarter of the previous year. Samsung’s sales consistently place the smartphone giant among the top three smartphone vendors in the world, alongside Xiaomi and Apple. Samsung smartphone sales – how many phones does Samsung sell? Global smartphone sales reached over 1.2 billion units during 2024. While the global smartphone market is led by Samsung and Apple, Xiaomi has gained ground following the decline of Huawei. Together, these three companies hold more than 50 percent of the global smartphone market share.

In 2022, smartphone vendors sold around 1.39 billion smartphones were sold worldwide, with this number forecast to drop to 1.34 billion in 2023.

Smartphone penetration rate still on the rise

Less than half of the world’s total population owned a smart device in 2016, but the smartphone penetration rate has continued climbing, reaching 78.05 percent in 2020. By 2025, it is forecast that almost 87 percent of all mobile users in the United States will own a smartphone, an increase from the 27 percent of mobile users in 2010.

Smartphone end user sales

In the United States alone, sales of smartphones were projected to be worth around 73 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, an increase from 18 billion dollars in 2010. Global sales of smartphones are expected to increase from 2020 to 2021 in every major region, as the market starts to recover from the initial impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The number of Apple iPhone unit sales dramatically increased between 2007 and 2023. Indeed, in 2007, when the iPhone was first introduced, Apple shipped around *** million smartphones. By 2023, this number reached over *** million units. The newest models and iPhone’s lasting popularity Apple has ventured into its 17th smartphone generation with its Phone ** lineup, which, released in September 2023, includes the **, ** Plus, ** Pro and Pro Max. Powered by the A16 bionic chip and running on iOS **, these models present improved displays, cameras, and functionalities. On the one hand, such features come, however, with hefty price tags, namely, an average of ***** U.S. dollars. On the other hand, they contribute to making Apple among the leading smartphone vendors worldwide, along with Samsung and Xiaomi. In the first quarter of 2024, Samsung shipped over ** million smartphones, while Apple recorded shipments of roughly ** million units. Success of Apple’s other products Apart from the iPhone, which is Apple’s most profitable product, Apple is also the inventor of other heavy-weight players in the consumer electronics market. The Mac computer and the iPad, like the iPhone, are both pioneers in their respective markets and have helped popularize the use of PCs and tablets. The iPad is especially successful, having remained as the largest vendor in the tablet market ever since its debut. The hottest new Apple gadget is undoubtedly the Apple Watch, which is a line of smartwatches that has fitness tracking capabilities and can be integrated via iOS with other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch has also been staying ahead of other smart watch vendors since its initial release and secures around ** percent of the market share as of the latest quarter.