In the highly competitive mobile market of 2023, Apple firmly held its ground by nabbing the top seven positions in the global top 10 best-selling smartphones list, as reported by industry analysts at Counterpoint Research. This accomplishment pushed its rivals, including high-end Samsung Galaxy phones, towards the lower end of the list.
The year was marked by Apple’s impressive performance, with the iPhone 14 leading the charge and amassing 3.9% of global phone sales. Conversely, Samsung found its victory in the budget market segment; the Galaxy A14 4G clinched the 10th spot with a 1.3% market share. The 8th and 9th positions didn’t stray from the Samsung camp either, with Galaxy A14 5G and Galaxy A04e holding 1.4% and 1.3% of the market share, respectively.
Samsung’s strategy of focusing on more affordable devices has been a significant factor in their sales achievement. While premium Galaxy models didn’t break into the top 10, it wasn’t a startling outcome given the previous years’ trends where low to mid-range Galaxy devices frequently outperformed their flagship counterparts in sales. The Galaxy A13 and A03 followed suit from previous successes, such as the Galaxy A12, which was the solo Samsung device to appear in the top-10 list in 2021.
In a year-over-year comparison, Counterpoint Research highlighted that the combined market share of the top 10 best-selling phones increased by 1% in 2023, accounting for 20% of the entire market, up from 19% the year before. These selections of iPhones and Galaxy devices demonstrated significant market traction.
The research indicated that iPhone sales were particularly robust in the USA and China, which jointly contributed to half of Apple’s smartphone sales. Despite the static year-on-year sales figures for Apple, the company managed to hold its own as competing brands faced declining sales.
Samsung’s budget-friendly Galaxy A series models gained their top spots by leveraging their value for money and broad appeal across different regions and consumer segments. The Galaxy A14 5G, for instance, captured markets in India and the USA, whereas the LTE variant and Galaxy A04e found their strength in areas such as India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico.
Counterpoint Research anticipates a shift in the upcoming 2024 rankings, expecting a more varied array of manufacturers, including emergent Chinese brands, to challenge the existing hierarchy and secure a place among the top 10 best-selling phones.
