Global Smartphone Market Report 2024: Apple Leads as Android Growth Slows

Global Smartphone Market Report 2024: Apple Leads as Android Growth SlowsThe global smartphone market showed signs of continued recovery in Q4 2024, but growth significantly decelerated. According to the latest report from market analysis firm Canalys, global smartphone shipments reached 330 million units in Q4 2024, a 3% year-on-year increase, marking five consecutive quarters of positive growth

Global Smartphone Market Report 2024: Apple Leads as Android Growth Slows

The global smartphone market showed signs of continued recovery in Q4 2024, but growth significantly decelerated. According to the latest report from market analysis firm Canalys, global smartphone shipments reached 330 million units in Q4 2024, a 3% year-on-year increase, marking five consecutive quarters of positive growth. However, the growth rate declined compared to previous quarters, suggesting the market may be entering a new phase of stability.

Apple maintained its market leadership in Q4 2024, driven by its strong brand influence and new product launches. Its 23% market share solidified its position at the top, showcasing its strong competitiveness in the high-end market. Apple's strong performance during the traditional new product launch season further cemented its leading position in the global smartphone market. This was largely due to robust growth in emerging Asian markets like India and Southeast Asia, resulting from increased channel coverage and intensified brand marketing efforts. Canalys analyst LeXuan Chiew noted that Apple's success in the Asia-Pacific region was a key factor in its global dominance. However, Chiew also pointed out that Apple hasn't shown strong recovery in some developed markets due to increased competition and lengthening smartphone replacement cycles. He anticipates further growth for Apple in 2025 through product line updates, hardware upgrades, and broader implementation of "Apple Intelligence."

In contrast to Apple's strong performance, Samsung Electronics saw a decline in market share in Q4 2024, settling at 16% and securing second place. While Samsung still maintains a significant market share, it appears somewhat passive in its competition with Apple. This might be related to Apple's strength in the high-end market and Samsung's own product strategy adjustments.

Xiaomi continued to hold a significant position in the global smartphone market in Q4 2024, claiming third place with a 13% market share. Notably, Xiaomi was the only top-three vendor to achieve year-on-year growth, attributable to its strong performance in its domestic market and the success of its globalization strategy. Xiaomi's success stems from its cost-effective strategy and proactive expansion into emerging markets. Its strong price-performance ratio attracted numerous consumers, particularly in emerging Asian markets, in competition with Apple and Samsung.

Transsion and vivo ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, benefiting from the recovery in emerging Asian markets. These brands primarily focus on the low-to-mid-range market, winning over consumers in these markets by offering affordable products and services. This indicates that the low-to-mid-range market still holds significant growth potential in the global smartphone market.

For the full year 2024, global smartphone shipments reached 1.22 billion units, a 7% year-on-year increase. Apple surpassed Samsung for the second consecutive year to become the leading vendor by market share, solidifying its leadership in the global smartphone market. This marks a significant success for Apple in the global smartphone market competition and demonstrates its continuously improving brand influence and product competitiveness.

Canalys Senior Analyst Toby Zhu believes the prosperity of mass-market products was a key driver of growth in the global smartphone market in 2024. Although rising supply chain costs at the beginning of the year impacted the market, Android vendors achieved considerable growth thanks to their extensive channel coverage, strong product competitiveness, and effective inventory management. Android vendors like Xiaomi, Transsion, and vivo all achieved double-digit growth in 2024, showcasing their resilience and strength in navigating market challenges.

However, Zhu also noted that mid-range models faced demand challenges in 2024. In emerging markets, consumers preferred more cost-effective products; while in mature markets, they faced rising average selling prices. This suggests that the smartphone market is undergoing a profound transformation, requiring vendors to adjust their product strategies and market positioning to meet changing market demands.

In summary, the global smartphone market in 2024 showed a slowing but still positive growth trend. Apple maintained its lead in the high-end market, while Android vendors achieved growth in emerging markets through their price-performance advantage. The mid-range market faces challenges, and vendors need to adapt to market changes to remain competitive. The increasingly fierce market competition necessitates continuous innovation and improvement in product competitiveness and brand influence for vendors to secure a favorable position in future market competition. The direction of the market in 2025 warrants continued observation.

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