Apple lags behind global smartphone market, but AI expected to drive Q3 demand

Both Counterpoint Research and IDC have published their latest estimates of the global smartphone market, each showing that Apple is lagging behind.

The worldwide smartphone market as a whole grew by around 6% in Q2, while iPhone shipments were roughly flat year-on-year …

As is usual, the two firms paint slightly different pictures, but are broadly consistent.

IDC reports that global smartphone shipments increased 6.5% year-on-year to 285.4 million units, and that iPhone growth was much smaller at 1.5% during the same period.

The preliminary market results show that Samsung captured the top position in 2Q24 with 18.9% share of shipments, thanks to a strategic focus on its flagships and a strong AI strategy. Apple finished the quarter in second place with 15.8% share with improved performance in China and other key regions. The leading companies both saw modest growth year over year. 

Counterpoint puts the overall market growth very slightly lower at 6%, and says that iPhone shipments fell 1% in this time.

The top five brands remained the same as in earlier quarters. Samsung retained the top spot in Q2 2024, helped by strong sustained sales of the AI-focused Galaxy S24 series and an early refresh of the popular Galaxy A series, whose models emerged as the bestsellers in entry-level to mid-price bands. Samsung also led the sales of GenAI-capable Android smartphones and is expected to further capitalise on it with its new-generation foldables.

Apple’s global sales remained flat but recorded strong YoY growth in Europe and Latin America, which compensated the low upgrade rates in the US and share loss in China following Huawei’s rise. However, Apple saw improvement in sales in China during the 618 shopping festival where it offered attractive discounts.

AI is now seen as the biggest driver in demand for premium smartphones, with Samsung already seeing the impact of this. Apple is expected to similarly benefit when it launches the iPhone 16 line-up in September.

Currently, the two iPhone 15 Pro models are the only ones which will be able to take advantage of the full set of Apple Intelligence features, so most iPhone owners will need to upgrade if they want to access these.

Photo: Apple