Samsung regained its lead in the smartphone market - Apple held on for five months

Samsung Electronics regained leadership in global smartphone sales just five months after losing to Apple. According to official data, the comeback was due to the release of the new Galaxy S24 smartphones with artificial intelligence features.

Last September, Samsung lost the top position to Apple, but the Galaxy 24, which has a range of artificial intelligence features, has received a positive response on the market since its debut in January. In February, Samsung sold 19.69 million smartphones and captured a 20% market share. Apple sold 17.41 million phones and has an 18% share, according to market research firm Counterpoint Research. Analysts attribute Samsung's return to the top spot to high sales in the United States and European markets.

The manufacturer of the Galaxy smartphone series retained the top spot in the European market with a 34% share. In addition, Samsung has seen significant growth in its market share in the United States, where Apple products traditionally dominate—up to 36% from 20% in January. Apple's share of the U.S. market for the same period fell from 64% to 48%.

In annual terms, Samsung lost its top spot in the global smartphone market in terms of shipments to Apple last year, for the first time in 13 years. According to research company IDC, in 2023, Apple captured 20.1% of the market and outpaced Samsung, whose share fell to 19.4%, from 21.7% in 2022.

In January, Samsung released the S24 smartphone with AI features and enhanced camera capabilities. Data showed that by the end of February, the company had sold 6.53 million phones worldwide. The artificial intelligence features introduced by Samsung Electronics in the Galaxy S24 include real-time translation into 13 languages during calls and the Circle to Search feature, which allows users to search content by drawing an area on the screen.

Recently, the American magazine Consumer Reports named the Galaxy S24 Ultra camera the best in the world among phones. The monthly magazine, published by the non-profit organization Consumers Union, gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra camera 87 points, surpassing the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which scored 86 points. Additionally, the Galaxy S24 Plus, which was introduced alongside the Galaxy S24 Ultra, took third place with a score of 85 points.

Source: The Korea Times