In the first quarter of 2023, the global smartphone market showed signs of recovery, with shipments increasing by 6% year-on-year, reaching a total of 296.9 million units. This growth was mainly attributed to robust performance in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. Samsung has taken the top spot in the market, overtaking Apple, according to data released by Counterpoint Research. Samsung captured 20% of the shipment market share, up from 17% in the previous quarter, while Apple saw its share fall to 17%, with shipments declining 13% year over year.
Singh explained that Europe, particularly Central and Eastern Europe, saw the most significant growth compared to a difficult first quarter of 2023, while North American and Japanese markets showed declines. Despite the drop in shipments, Apple led the smartphone market in terms of revenue, holding a 43% share