IDC: Delivery Of Apple And Samsung Phones Down, Losing Competitive With Chinese Cellphones

Apple phone illustration (photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The International Data Corporation (IDC) report states that Samsung and Apple smartphone shipments declined in the fourth quarter globally.

IDC sees this decline as they grapple with intense competition from Chinese companies, including Xiaomi, Oppo, Honor, and other brands.

Apple's global shipments fell 4.1 percent to 76.9 million units in the fourth quarter, while Samsung's shipment fell 2.7 percent to 51.7 million units.

In 2024, iPhone makers topped the global smartphone market with a share of 18.7 percent, followed by Samsung at 18 percent, and Xiaomi from China at 13.6 percent.

But unfortunately, among the top five smartphone brands last year, Apple's shipments fell 0.9 percent and Samsung fell 1.4 percent, while Xiaomi showed fastest growth with an increase in shipments of 15.4 percent.

"Despite continued growth in some areas, we have seen a decline in demand for foldable devices in the market, although promotions and marketing are intensified," said Anthony Scarsella, director of research for client devices, IDC.

Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of EMEA Client Devices, IDC, also confirmed that the last quarter was a great moment for China's largest smartphone vendors, namely Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor, Huawei, Lenovo, realme, Transition, TCL, and ZTE.

They reached a milestone as they delivered the highest combined volume ever in a quarter, representing 56 percent of global smartphone shipments in Q4, Francisco said further.