Shipment Gap Between Samsung And Apple Phones Shrinks To Smallest Ever

13.11.2024 17:01

Twice.com

The shipment gap between Samsung’s and Apple’s smartphones has shrunk to its lowest point in the market’s history, according to a new report by AltIndex.com. While Samsung has won out over Apple in terms of units shipped for most of the past 15 years, data from the first nine months of 2024 shows that Samsung only shipped 20 million more smartphones than Apple, continuing the trend of heightened competition between the tech giants.

The following are a few key insights from the full report, which can be viewed here.

The shipment gap between the world’s two largest smartphone vendors has been shrinking for quite a while. While Samsung`s shipments dropped, Apple`s increased, and there are several reasons for that.

The South Korean tech giant 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 over the years, gaining market share in regions where Samsung traditionally led with affordable devices.

On the other hand, Apple’s integrated ecosystem, strong brand loyalty, longer upgrade cycles, and software support encourage customers to stay with iPhones, fueling steady growth. The US tech giant`s expanding presence in regions like India, aided by local manufacturing, also boosted sales. These factors led to closer competition in shipments between Samsung and Apple, as both brands focus on quality over quantity and prioritize high-value customers. The IDC data show how much exactly their shipment gap decreased.

During the nine months of 2024, Samsung shipped 171.8 million smartphones, and Apple 151.3 million. The 20 million shipment gap is only a fraction of the figures reported over the past ten years. In 2019, the nine-month shipment difference between Samsung smartphones and Apple`s iPhone was five times bigger and amounted to 108.8 million. That is roughly 8% more than the figures reported for the same period between 2015 and 2019, when the shipment gap stood between 95 million and 105 million, and 15% more compared to a massive 125 million unit difference in the nine months of 2014.