Global smartphone shipments climb nearly 8% in 1st quarter as Samsung retakes the lead

Global smartphone shipments rose nearly 8% in the first quarter, according to preliminary data from International Data Corp. It’s the third straight quarter of shipment growth and marks the return of Samsung to No. 1.

There were 289.4 million units shipped in the period, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

Claiming the top spot was Samsung, with 60.1 million units shipped in the quarter, down about 0.7% from last year. Apple came in second, with 50.1 million units shipped, down 9.6% from last year. Apple was at the top spot in the last quarter of 2023.

The third and fourth smartphone makers, Xiaomi and Transsion, saw their market share leap 34% and 85% respectively year over year.

Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team, said in a statement that average selling prices continue to improve, with consumers buying more expensive devices because they know they’re going to hold onto them longer.