Apple, Samsung Smartphone Shipments Up But Chinese Rivals Notch Bigger Gains

Global smartphone shipments by Apple (AAPL) and South Korea’s Samsung rose in the second quarter from a year earlier, but their global market shares fell as Chinese rivals chalked up bigger gains, according to data from research firm International Data Corp.

Apple and Samsung were boosted by their focus on premium smartphones, IDC said. The iPhone maker also benefited from improved performance in China, while Samsung, which continued its run as the world’s top smartphone provider, gained from its “strong AI strategy,” it added.

“As Apple and Samsung both continue to push the top of the market and benefit the most from the ongoing premiumization trend, many leading Chinese OEMs are increasing shipments in the low end in an attempt to capture volume share amidst weak demand,” Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team, said.

Apple’s Global Market Share Falls To 15.8%

Quarterly shipments of iPhones climbed to 45.2 million units from 44.5 million a year ago but Apple’s market share fell to 15.8% from 16.6%.

Samsung’s market share fell to 18.9% from 20.0%, although it remained the top seller of smartphones globally at 53.9 million units, up from 53.5 million.

In contrast, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi chalked up a 27% year-over-year jump in global shipments and saw its share of the global market share rise to 14.8% from 12.4%. Vivo, another Chinese company, saw its market share climb to 9.1% from 7.9% as global shipments jumped about 22% to 25.9 million.

Apple shares were up about 2% in premarket trading.