Only one major smartphone manufacturer increased its shipments year-over-year during Q3،
Global smartphone shipments declined 1% year-over-year during the third quarter, with 293.4 million units shipped over the three months, according to Canalys. Despite a 6% drop in shipments on a year-over-year basis, Samsung remained the world’s leading smartphone maker by shipping 57.4 million handsets during the quarter. This gave the company a 20% market share.
Apple inched closer to its South Korean rival by shipping 50 million iPhones in the quarter that included the release of the new iPhone 15 series. Apple shipped 6% fewer phones than in from the same quarter last year, but came within 3 percentage points of Samsung with a 17% share of the global smartphone pie.
Third-place Xiaomi was the only major phone maker to report a year-over-year increase in shipments during the third quarter. The company shipped 41.5 million units, a million or 2% more than it shipped in the third quarter of last year. This performance gave Xiaomi 14% of the global smartphone market, bringing it within a basis point of Apple. With 26.4 million phones shipped from July to September, Oppo was number four in shipments and its 8% year-on-year decline sent its global market share down to 9%.
Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi remain the top three smartphone manufacturers in the world
Chinese company Transsion recorded the best overall performance during the quarter, with a whopping 40% increase, to 26 million units, compared to 18 million shipped in the same quarter last year. The company sells its phones in the Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, and also has a 9% share of the global smartphone market.
Lucas Zhong, research analyst at Canalys, says manufacturers are focusing on the premium end of their business. He wrote: “Brands are enhancing their premium segment offerings to extend their utility through design and user interface improvements. Global competition for foldable smartphones is about to intensify. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 5 series launched two weeks earlier than usual to strengthen their offering. Third Quarter 2023 Revenue and Market Performance.” He claims that with increased competition in the foldable smartphone market, Samsung’s dominance in this sector is under threat.
Zhong added: “Learning from demand challenges due to over-differentiation of the iPhone 14 series, Apple narrowed the gap with the addition of USB-C and Dynamic Island support to the lineup . iPhone15 and 15 Plus models, which translates into greater volume than expected and supports the brand’s footprint in the premium segment. »
