By : Wael Elgafary
Despite ongoing inflation and slower consumer demand, global smartphone sales have remained resilient. In 2024, people worldwide bought an impressive 1.23 billion smartphones, marking a 6% increase compared to the previous year. Samsung and Apple, the two largest players in the market, made around 40% of that figure. And while Samsung continues to lead in overall shipments, Apple has dramatically closed the gap, showcasing a significant shift in the market over the last decade.
According to data presented by Stocklytics.com, Apple's iPhone shipments have surged by 22% in the past ten years, while Samsung's plunged by a massive 33%.
38 Million More iPhones, 115 Million Fewer Samsung Phones
For fifteen years, tech titans Samsung and Apple have been competing for the title of the world's largest smartphone vendor. Although both companies produce top devices and count their users in billions, the South Korean tech giant won most of the time. Still, the smartphone shipment gap between the two rivals has dropped significantly over the years.
While Apple's controlled product lineup and premium pricing strategy resulted in growth, Samsung's broad approach led to challenges. The South Korean smartphone vendor shifted its focus from budget models that once drove high sales volumes to high-end models like the Z series and Galaxy S. At the same time, Chinese competitors Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo made significant strides, gaining market share in regions where Samsung traditionally led with affordable devices.
On the other hand, Apple's strong brand loyalty, longer upgrade cycles, and software support encouraged customers to stay with iPhones, fueling steady growth. The company's growing presence in regions like India only further boosted sales.
According to IDC and Counterpoint Research data, Apple shipped around 207 million iPhones in 2024, or 10% less than a year before. However, this still marks a 22% increase compared to 2014, when the company shipped 169 million smartphones. That means Apple shipped 38 million more iPhones in 2024 than a decade ago.
In contrast, Samsung's annual smartphone shipments plunged by 33% in this period. Last year, the South Korean giant shipped 280 million smartphones, or 115 million less than in 2014. Such a massive loss of market share is a clear sign of the company's struggles in an increasingly competitive market.
Samsung vs. Apple Smartphone Shipment Gap Still Widens After Reaching an All-Time Low in 2022
While Samsung's decline is significant, the situation was even worse just a few years ago. In 2022, the company shipped 260 million smartphones, a 35% drop from 2014. Apple shipped 232 million iPhones the same year, resulting in the lowest shipments gap of 28 million units.
In comparison, the difference was 100 million units three years before that, and back in 2014, the gap was a staggering 225 million units. Still, in 2023, the shipment gap between the two rivals rose to 39 million and then nearly doubled to 73 million last year.
