Edward Collins
Apr 06, 2024
In the Samsung vs Apple battle, Samsung has reclaimed its position as the world's leading smartphone manufacturer, a title that often oscillates between the tech giant and its primary competitor. While Apple seized the global lead in smartphone sales in September 2023, largely driven by the launch of the iPhone 15 range, the dynamic has shifted once more.
A report from the Korea Times, citing February 2024 statistics, indicates that Samsung now holds a 20% market share, slightly edging out Apple's 18%. This translates to Apple selling approximately 17.41 million iPhones compared to Samsung's 19.69 million units across its diverse product range, which includes options as affordable as $80.
This fluctuation between Samsung and Apple is less about ongoing popularity battles and more reflective of their respective release cycles. Samsung's surge in February can be attributed to the release of its latest Galaxy S24 models. The Galaxy S24 alone accounted for 6.53 million units sold.
In the US market, Samsung witnessed a significant rise from 20% to 36% in January 2024, while Apple experienced a post-holiday decline, dropping from 64% to 48%. Although Apple’s dominance throughout 2023 was noteworthy, Samsung typically has an edge over the year due to its wide range of smartphone models catering to various price points.
Despite these fluctuations, the global smartphone market is generally experiencing a downward trend, especially in key markets like China. However, Apple continued to lead in Japan as of March 2024, even though this market too has seen a contraction.
The shifting dynamics between Samsung vs Apple in the smartphone industry underscore the impact of product release cycles and the diverse strategies of the two tech giants in capturing different market segments.
