Global Smartphone Market Report Q4 2024: Apple and Samsung Stumble, Chinese Manufacturers Rise

Global Smartphone Market Report Q4 2024: Apple and Samsung Stumble, Chinese Manufacturers RiseThe global smartphone market saw 331.7 million units shipped in Q4 2024, a 2

Global Smartphone Market Report Q4 2024: Apple and Samsung Stumble, Chinese Manufacturers Rise

The global smartphone market saw 331.7 million units shipped in Q4 2024, a 2.4% year-on-year increase, according to IDC. Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Transsion, and vivo occupied the top five positions. However, the quarter revealed an unexpected shift in the landscape, with Apple and Samsung underperforming while Chinese manufacturers demonstrated robust growth.

Apple and Samsung: Sluggish Growth, Declining Market Share

Despite reclaiming the top spot in global smartphone shipments, Apple's growth fell significantly short of expectations. The launch of the iPhone 16 series failed to deliver the anticipated explosive growth, instead experiencing a 4.1% year-on-year decline. This is partly attributed to the strong impact of new releases from Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo.

Samsung's situation was even more precarious. The absence of the Galaxy S25 series left Samsung vulnerable to intense competition from Chinese brands in Q4, resulting in a decline in market share and a 2.7% year-on-year decrease in growth. This highlights Samsung's shortcomings in product update speed and market competition strategies. While Samsung launched a major AI initiative at the beginning of 2024, branding its new direction as "Galaxy AI" and collaborating with Google to build extensive AI features and an AI ecosystem, making the Galaxy S24 series its best-selling flagship in recent years, this strategy failed to yield the expected results in Q4 2024.

Xiaomi and vivo: Strong Growth, Emerging as Major Winners

In stark contrast to Apple and Samsung, Xiaomi and vivo achieved remarkable growth in Q4. Xiaomi, fueled by the strong sales of its new flagship Xiaomi 15 series and price adjustments to some popular models, became the fastest-growing smartphone manufacturer in the quarter. The Xiaomi 15 series surpassed one million units sold within nine days, significantly outpacing the Xiaomi 14 series, which reached the same milestone in nearly a month.

vivo's growth was equally impressive, with a 12.7% increase in market share, making it the fastest-growing brand among the top five. vivo launched the X200 series and S20 series in Q4, covering both flagship and mid-range segments. The X200 series achieved over 2 billion yuan in initial sales. vivos introduction of the smaller flagship X200 Pro Mini, a first for the brand's flagship line, also received positive market feedback.

Transsion: Steady Growth, Lacking Highlights

Transsion released new products in Q4, including the Infinix Hot 50 Pro+, itel S25, and its first foldable phone, the Infinix Zero Flip. However, its overall performance was relatively muted, lacking innovative highlights and relying primarily on cost-effective strategies. Transsion's failure to follow the lead of major Chinese manufacturers in releasing new flagship phones in Q4 led to a decline in market attention.

Chinese Manufacturers: AI and Imaging as Winning Strategies, Market Share Exceeds 56%

2024 marked a milestone year for Chinese smartphone manufacturers. Annual smartphone shipment reports show that Chinese manufacturers achieved a 56% market share. Their rise is attributed to continuous breakthroughs in AI and imaging technologies. Major brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, vivo, OPPO, and Meizu have transitioned from "OS+AI" to "AIOS," aggressively investing in AI to enhance user experience.

In the imaging sector, innovations like OPPO's Live Photo and Huawei's Hongfeng imaging technology continue to redefine consumers' perception of mobile photography, stimulating upgrades. Furthermore, Chinese manufacturers are entering the smaller flagship market, with models like the vivo X200 Pro Mini, OPPO Find X8, and Xiaomi 15, competing for market share previously dominated by the standard iPhone. Data from Weibo RD Observation shows that the iPhone 16 standard model's first-year sales were only 55% of the iPhone 15 standard model's.

Xiaomi and OPPO demonstrated particularly strong performance. Xiaomi 15 offered 40 color options, including a diamond limited edition and a bright silver version, solidifying its position in consumers' minds, coupled with the positive reputation of the Xiaomi numbered series. OPPO, with its initial concept of OPPO AI phones and its embrace of a "fruit-flavored" design aesthetic, attracted a large number of young consumers.

2025: Market Reshuffle, Apple and Samsung Face Huge Challenges

The market performance in 2024 foreshadows a major reshuffle in the smartphone market in 2025. Apple and Samsung face immense pressure, while Chinese manufacturers continue their rapid growth. Apple and Samsung are actively investing in AI technology, hoping to use it as a key to a comeback. Apple established Apple Technology Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. to accelerate the localization of Apple Intelligence. Samsung plans to equip its upcoming Galaxy S25 series with One UI 7 and launch a series of powerful AI features, including an upgraded Bixby voice assistant.

However, Apple and Samsung are still relatively conservative in promoting their AI ecosystems, lagging significantly behind Chinese manufacturers. Chinese manufacturers have completed the transition from "OS+AI" to "AIOS" and have achieved efficient iteration between user experience and market feedback.

The smartphone market will remain highly volatile in the coming year. Whether Apple and Samsung can overcome their growth challenges with AI technology depends on their ability to strike a better balance between technological innovation and user needs. The continued progress of Chinese manufacturers will put increasing pressure on international brands, forcing them to make more changes. This competition between brands will ultimately benefit consumers, leading to more excellent features and hardware implementations.

CES 2025: AI Technology Leading the Future

Concluding on January 10th, CES 2025 showcased AI technology as the undisputed star of the show, encompassing a vast array of applications: AI hardware, AI TVs, AI appliances, AI glasses, AIPC, AI+AR, smart cleaning, AI chips, AI education hardware, AI automobiles, smart accessories, wearables, AI robots, AI headphones, smart mirrors, and AI storage, demonstrating the booming development of AI hard technology.

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