Samsung could lose to Apple for the first time ever in annual phone shipments

Two players dominate the global smartphone market: Samsung and Apple. While we do have the likes of the BBK group brands giving tough competition, plenty of brand and sub-brand fragmentation reduces their collective visibility. For all intents, Samsung has been the global champion of annual smartphone shipments, shipping many Samsung smartphones worldwide. But it seems Apple is now on track to steal the top position from Samsung, especially if the iPhone 15 series performs as well as everyone expects.

According to a press release from Counterpoint Research citing preliminary figures, Apple is on track to become the number 1 smartphone brand for the first time ever, dethroning the long-standing king Samsung. This is despite global smartphone shipments declining by as much as 6% to 1.15 billion units, which is said to be the lowest in a decade.

For North America, the first half of 2023 has been rather disappointing, leading it to a double-digit annual decline. The report states that consumers remain hesitant to upgrade their phones, leading to record-low upgrades across carriers.

However, much to the delight of Apple, there is still the iPhone 15 series left. Apple’s performance every year hinges strongly on the launch of the iPhone in the second half of the year, whereas most of the heavy hitters from the Android camp make an appearance at the beginning of the year.

The iPhone 15 is said to be the window for carriers to “steal high-value customers.” The report further points out that users that bought the iPhone 12 will now be looking for an upgrade, which Apple could capitalize on with aggressive promos.

Apple is thus said to be closest to the top spot it has ever been, with just a few days’ worth of sales keeping it in the second spot for now. As long as the company doesn’t run into any production issues, it is well-placed to emerge as the number 1 global smartphone brand in 2023.