Global smartphone shipments experienced a significant increase of nearly 8% in the first quarter of 2023, according to preliminary data from International Data Corp (IDC). This marks the third consecutive quarter of shipment growth and signifies the return of Samsung to the top position in the market.
During this period, a total of 289.4 million units were shipped, as reported by IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. Samsung emerged as the market leader, shipping 60.1 million units, a slight decrease of 0.7% compared to the previous year. Apple followed closely behind with 50.1 million units shipped, representing a 9.6% decline from the previous year. Notably, Apple held the top position in the last quarter of 2023.
Xiaomi and Transsion, ranking third and fourth respectively, witnessed remarkable growth in their market share, with year-on-year increases of 34% and 85%, respectively.
Nabila Popal, research director at IDC's Worldwide Tracker team, highlighted in a statement that average selling prices continue to rise. This trend is attributed to consumers opting for more expensive devices, driven by the expectation of longer device lifecycles.