Canalys’ latest research shows that global smartphone shipments fell by 13% to 269.8 million units in quarter one (Q1) of 2023.
Samsung reclaimed its pole position and shipped 60.3 million units, driven by a refreshed product portfolio. Apple came in second with 58 million shipments. It was the only top five vendor to grow year-on-year, which gave it a strong 21% market share.
Samsung now has 22% of the global smartphone market, down 18% from Q1 of 2022. Apple now has 21% of the global smartphone market, up from 18% in Q2 of 2022.
Xiaomi defended its number three position with 30.5 million shipments while OPPO and vivo completed the top five, shipping 26.6 million and 20.9 million units, respectively, securing 10% and 8% market share.
“Samsung’s performance shows early signs of recovery after a tough end to 2022,” says Runar Bjørhovde, Canalys analyst. “The rebound is particularly connected to product launches, which drove an increase in sell-in volume. Still, Samsung will have to navigate through a difficult landscape going forward, particularly as entry-level device inventory remains high. Declining profits from its semiconductor memory business will also trigger a more conservative marketing spend overall.”Meanwhile, Apple had robust performance in Q1, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, he adds. Here, Apple’s sustained investments into offline channels enabled it to attract a burgeoning middle-class, which places high value on the in-store purchasing experience, according to Bjørhovde.
Canalys says the demand decline for smartphones has started to flatten, although the contrast between Q1 2022 and Q1 2023 is still stark.