Yesterday Patently Apple posted a statistical report regarding Q3 smartphone sales in China where Apple’s shipments fell 10%. Today a new analytical report reveals that the global smartphone market fell slightly by 1% to 293.4 million units in Q3 2023 with vendors pushing new models following a healthy inventory level in Q2.

Samsung held their top position by shipping 57.4 million units with a 20% market share, thanks to an early update of its foldable devices. Apple followed in second place, shipping 50.0 million units and gained market share even though the were down 6% annually. Apple’s performance was driven by strong initial demand for the iPhone 15 series with USB-C upgrade.

Learning from demand challenges due to the over-differentiation of the iPhone 14 series, Apple narrowed the gap through the addition of the USB-C and Dynamic Island support to the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models, resulting in stronger-than-expected volume and supporting the brand’s footprint in the high-end.”

(Click on the Canalys Chart to Enlarge)

Xiaomi took third place, shipping 41.5 million units, achieving an annual growth of 2%, owing to strong performance in emerging markets. OPPO (including OnePlus) secured the fourth position with 26.4 million units of shipment, capturing 9% market share. TRANSSION Group (includes Tecno, Infinix and iTel brands), maintained its fifth position as it continued its strong momentum from the previous quarter and defended its top five position, shipping 26.0 million units.

The global competition for foldable smartphones is set to intensify. Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 5 series were released two weeks earlier than usual to bolster Q3 2023 revenue and market performance. However, as foldable smartphone options continue to increase, this trend poses a challenge to Samsung's current dominance in the same market. OPPO strategically introduced the Find N3 and OnePlus Open models in different regions, demonstrating Android brands' ambition to capture the global foldable market.

For more on this, review the full report from Canalys.

In the IDC Global Smartphone report for Q3 2023, they noted that Apple registered  2.5% annual growth YoY and gained 0.5% market share.  

(Click on the IDC Chart to Enlarge)

Nabila Popal, research director with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers noted that Apple grew in all regions except China, where it's facing renewed competition from Huawei as well as heightened macroeconomic uncertainties that are causing consumers who once used to rush for the latest iPhones to pause and think more carefully about their purchases.