Apple overtook Samsung to become the world’s leading smartphone brand with record iPhone sales

Apple overtook Samsung to become the world’s leading smartphone brand amid record sales of iPhone smartphones. The company showed a huge jump in the last quarter of last year, while Huawei’s position weakened greatly.

According to Counterpoint Research, iPhone shipments increased 22% in the previous quarter. The surge is driven by the release of the iPhone 12 lineup, which supports fifth-generation networks. Also, sales of previous models do not fall, the demand for which is stable after the price decline.

The company has shipped 90 million smartphones and has more than 23% market share. Analysts note that Apple has strengthened its position in the premium segment of smartphones in China. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, two of the top three selling premium smartphones in China are from Apple.

The second place in the quarter was taken by Samsung, which received about 19% of the market. The third place went to Xiaomi, followed by Oppo and Vivo, which took the fourth and fifth places, respectively. Huawei dropped to 6th place.

If we consider the results for the year, then Samsung is in the lead, Apple is in second, Huawei is in third, followed by Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Realme. The latter was the fastest growing brand in the past year.

Counterpoint Research’s data is broadly consistent with estimates by another analytical company, IDC, which we have already published.