Samsung top in world smartphone market in Q1, beating Apple

Samsung Electronics Co. regained the top spot in the smartphone market, surpassing Apple in the first quarter of 2023. This outcome was driven by the strong popularity of the Galaxy S23 series, which was launched in February.

According to market research firm TrendForce on Thursday, global smartphone shipments in the first quarter of this year reached 250 million units, a 16.9% decrease compared to the previous quarter.

The South Korean electronics giant's shipments in the first quarter increased by 5.5% to reach 61.5 million units, surpassing the previous quarter. The company's market share recorded a 5.2% increase from the previous quarter, reaching 24.6% and reclaiming the top position.

Apple, which was the top player in the previous quarter (shipments of 53.3 million units and a market share of 21.3%), dropped to second place. Oppo (26.8 million units, 10.7%), Xiaomi (26.5 million units, 10.6%), and Vivo (20 million units, 8%) followed behind.

The Galaxy S23 series, released in February this year, has been credited with boosting Samsung's market share. Securities analysts estimate that the cumulative sales of the S23 series in the first quarter reached 11 million units, which is about a 50% increase compared to the cumulative sales of the Galaxy S22 during a similar period.

According to TrendForce, smartphone shipments in the second quarter of this year are expected to increase by 5% to reach 260 million units compared to the previous quarter.

However, it is estimated that Samsung Electronics' smartphone shipments during the same period will decrease by about 10% compared to the previous quarter. This is due to the expectation that the momentum of the successful S23 series will fizzle out starting from the second quarter.

Write to Ik-Hwan Kim at lovepen@hankyung.com