In numbers: “iPhone” outperforms “Samsung”
Apple continues to dominate the high-end smartphone market, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max emerging as the most shipped smartphone in the first half of the year, according to research company Omdia. This reflects a trend of consumers leaning toward advanced devices while moving away from lower to mid-range phones.
Here’s a breakdown of the key findings from Omdia’s “Smartphone Market 2023” report for the first half of the year:
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iPhone 14 Pro Max Dominance: Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max secured the top spot in shipments, with 26.5 million units shipped from January to June.
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Apple’s Strong Presence: All four of the top four most shipped smartphone models were from Apple, including the iPhone 14 Pro (21 million units), iPhone 14 (16.5 million units), and iPhone 13 (15.5 million units).
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Shift Towards Flagship Devices: The report indicates that consumers still opt for flagship devices, but there seems to be a preference for entry-level models rather than the highest-end ones.
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Samsung’s Performance: Samsung’s Galaxy A14 secured the fifth spot in terms of shipments, with 12.4 million units shipped. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung’s flagship, ranked sixth with 9.6 million units.
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Chinese Manufacturers: Interestingly, devices from Chinese smartphone manufacturers did not make it into the top 10 smartphones in shipment. The report noted that Chinese smartphone shipments experienced double-digit declines compared to 2022, mainly due to mid-to-the low-cost smartphone market stagnation.
These findings are significant indicators of consumer preferences in the smartphone market. It’s worth noting that Apple is gearing up to launch its new iPhone 15 in the coming months, and these trends can provide insights into consumer sentiment leading up to the launch.
However, it’s essential to consider that overall global smartphone shipments are expected to decline by 6% year-on-year to 1.15 billion devices, marking the weakest performance in a decade, according to previous data from Omdia. This could be attributed to factors like market saturation and extended replacement cycles for smartphones.