Apple has struggled to sell iPhones for a while now due to tough competition from its top rivals. However, 2019 ended on a positive note for the American tech giant as it managed to ship more smartphones in Q4 2019 than both of its biggest rivals, Samsung and Huawei.
The news comes from Strategy Analytics’s latest research report which details how smartphone shipments overall showed little to no growth in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Apple shipped 70.7 million units, grabbing the first position with 19% global smartphone market share, Samsung came second with 68.8 million units and an 18% share, and Huawei took 15% market share with 56 million shipments.
Global Smartphone Shipments by Vendor (Millions of Units)
Apple’s iPhone shipments improved by 7% compared to last year, which was the best performance displayed by Apple since 2015. As for market share, the number increased from 18% to 19% over the year. This was largely due to Apple’s cheaper iPhone 11 and healthier demand in Asia and North America.
Samsung’s market share stayed flat at 18% but its smartphone shipments worldwide declined by 1%. Its performance remained steady across all price segments from budget to the premium range. Samsung remains the number one smartphone maker for 2019 overall.
Huawei shipped 7% fewer smartphones compared to last year and also lost 1% of its market share in Q4 2019. Huawei’s performance is slowing down in its home country and continues to face tough competition in the European market.
Xiaomi stands strong in the fourth position and showed incredible improvement in sales over the year. Oppo is currently the 5th biggest smartphone maker but showed a small decline in sales in Q4 2019.