Global smartphone shipments grew by 3% to 330 million units in the last quarter of 2024, marking a fifth consecutive quarter of growth, but analyst house Canalys noted this was a significant slowdown in growth.
Apple was the top shipping vendor with 23% of global market share in Q4, followed by Samsung with 14%, and Xiaomi was in third with 13% as the only vendor with year-on-year growth among the top three, driven by increasing presence in its home market and globalisation efforts.
China-based brands Transsion and Vivo ranked fourth and fifth respectively benefitting from recovery in emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
For the whole of 2024, smartphone shipments totaled 1.22 billion units reflecting a 7% year-on-year increase.
“Apple solidified its global position through growth in emerging markets like India and Southeast Asia in 2024,” said Canalys Analyst Le Xuan Chiew.
“By expanding channel coverage and influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and leveraging active marketing and branding strategies, Apple captured growth opportunities. However, competition and a prolonged replacement cycle limited its growth momentum in some developed markets. Looking ahead to 2025, Apple is expected to achieve growth, driven by a refreshed portfolio, hardware upgrades and broader adoption of Apple Intelligence.”
“The prosperity of mass-market products was a key driver of global smartphone growth in 2024,” added Canalys Senior Analyst Toby Zhu. “Despite challenges from rising supply chain costs since early 2024, Android brands like Xiaomi, Transsion and Vivo achieved double-digit growth, supported by extensive channel networks, competitive products, and effective inventory management.
“Meanwhile, mid-range devices faced demand pressure as consumers in emerging markets favoured value-for-money products, while mature markets showed a trend toward higher average selling prices.”
