Canalys’ latest research shows that European smartphone shipments (excluding Russia) fell by 6% year on year to 32 million in quarter three (Q3) 2023.
The research group says that though Q3 marked the tenth consecutive quarter of annual decline, there are signs of increasing demand as we near 2024. In the vendor ranking table, Samsung held onto first place with a 35% market share, despite its shipments falling 6% year on year. Apple took second place with a 22% share and a decline of 13%, partially offset by the strong performance of the iPhone 15.
“The challenging demand environment particularly affected Apple and Samsung in Q3, despite their product launches,” says Canalys Analyst Runar Bjørhovde. “In Apple’s case, its decline was primarily due to a rapid drop in shipments of older models compared with Q3 2022. This decline was partly to prevent overstocking of the iPhone 14 and earlier models, which must be phased out by the end of 2024 to align with the European Commission’s USB-C directive. In contrast, the iPhone 15 had a robust start, growing its launch quarter shipments by 59% compared with the iPhone 14. Reduced launch prices across the region supported its performance.”
