NEEDHAM, MA – Global smartphone shipments declined 3.2% year over year to 1.17 billion units in 2023, according to the International Data Corporation's (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

The number marks the lowest full-year volume in a decade, driven largely by macroeconomic challenges and elevated inventory early in the year, but growth in the second half of the year has cemented the expected recovery for 2024. The fourth quarter saw 8.5% year-over-year growth and 326.1 million shipments, higher than the forecast of 7.3% growth.

For the first time since 2010, Samsung was knocked out of the top spot in the global smartphone market, with Apple taking over for the first time after gaining an all-time high market share.

"While we saw some strong growth from low-end Android players like Transsion and Xiaomi in the second half of 2023, stemming from rapid growth in emerging markets, the biggest winner is clearly Apple," said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC's Worldwide Tracker team. "Not only is Apple the only player in the Top 3 to show positive growth annually, but also bags the number 1 spot annually for the first time ever. All this despite facing increased regulatory challenges and renewed competition from Huawei in China, its largest market. Apple's ongoing success and resilience is in large part due to the increasing trend of premium devices, which now represent over 20% of the market, fueled by aggressive trade-in offers and interest-free financing plans."

"The overall shift in ranking at the top of the market further highlights the intensity of competition within the smartphone market," said Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC's Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. "Apple certainly played a part in Samsung's drop in rank, but the overall Android space is diversifying within itself. Huawei is back and making inroads quickly within China, Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high end. And foldables and increased discussions around AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction. Overall, the smartphone space is headed towards a very interesting time."