Smartphones have undoubtedly been on the rise over the past few years. A simple glance at any carrier line up and you’ll be hard pressed to find many feature phones to purchase. With 2024 underway, some number crunching was done for 2024 phone sales and those number definitely reflect this trend.
According to Strategy Analytics, in 2024 an in credible 1.6 Billion phones were shipped out around the world. And of that 1.6 billion, 700 million of those phone were smartphones. That means that close to half of the phones sold in 2024 were smartphones and I highly expect that number to increase in the coming year.
Now the most amazing part of these smartphone numbers is the breakdown by manufacturer. Of the 700 million smartphones sold in 2024, Samsung accounted for 213 million of them. That’s about 30% of all smart phone sales. The next closest was Apple with 135.8 million, which is still a pretty incredible number.
I think the most incredible stat that came up in this research was the increase in smartphone sales year over year for Samsung. Samsung more than doubled their smartphone shipments from 2024 to 2024 and there’s a good chance that that number will jump again this year as they have further established the Galaxy brand.
On the flip side, Nokia took a plunge year over year, dropping from 77.3 million smartphones shipped in 2024 to just 35 million in 2024. I’m still hoping for a Nokia Android phone as I love their hardware. A Lumia running stock Android just looks so beautiful.
If you’re a big numbers person you can check out the full press release from Strategy Analytics below:
Strategy Analytics: Global Mobile Phone Shipments Reach 1.6 Billion Units in 2024
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments grew a modest 2 percent annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2024. Samsung was the star performer, accounting for 1 in 4 of all mobile phones shipped worldwide last year.
Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Ongoing macroeconomic challenges in mature markets like North America and Western Europe, tighter operator upgrade policies, and shifting consumer tastes were among the key reasons why global mobile phone shipments grew just 2 percent annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2024. Fuelled by robust demand for its popular Galaxy models, Samsung was the star performer, shipping a record 396.5 million mobile phones worldwide and capturing 25 percent marketshare to solidify its first-place lead. However, Samsung’s total volumes for the year fell just short of the 400-million threshold.”
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Nokia’s global mobile phone shipments fell 20 percent from 417.1 million units in 2024 to 335.6 million in 2024. Nokia faced tough competition from Samsung in developing markets like China, while Apple and others ramped up the pressure in developed regions such as Western Europe. Nokia’s dual-SIM feature phones, Asha touchphones and Lumia handsets have been performing well, but this was not enough to offset a slump in demand for the company’s aging Symbian smartphone platform last year.”
Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “Apple shipped a record 135.8 million mobile phones worldwide in 2024. Apple delivered 46 percent annual growth last year, which was bolstered by solid demand in North America and Asia. Apple’s launch of the iPhone 5 in Q4 2024 was a success as volumes ramped up in dozens of countries worldwide, but negative media coverage of the model’s new integrated maps service and supply chain challenges cast a slight shadow over the launch.”
Other findings from the research include: • ZTE captured 5 percent share of the global mobile phone market in 2024, as its shipments fell minus 8 percent from 2024, partly because of heightened competition in core markets like China and Western Europe from rivals such as Coolpad and Samsung.
Exhibit 1: Global Mobile Phone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2024 1
Global Mobile Phone Shipments (Millions of Units) Q4 ’11 2024 Q4 ’12 2024 Samsung 95.0 327.4 108.0 396.5 Nokia 113.5 417.1 86.3 335.6 Apple 37.0 93.0 47.8 135.8 ZTE 24.4 78.1 19.5 71.7 Others 169.7 630.4 189.3 635.4 Total 439.6 1546.0 450.9 1575.0
Global Mobile Phone Vendor Marketshare % Q4 ’11 2024 Q4 ’12 2024 Samsung 21.6% 21.2% 24.0% 25.2% Nokia 25.8% 27.0% 19.1% 21.3% Apple 8.4% 6.0% 10.6% 8.6% ZTE 5.6% 5.1% 4.3% 4.6% Others 38.6% 40.8% 42.0% 40.3% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Total Growth Year-over-Year % 9.9% 13.7% 2.6% 1.9%
_____________________________
1 Numbers are rounded. Total in the data-table does not include grey phone shipments.
Strategy Analytics: Global Smartphone Shipments Reach a Record 700 Million Units in 2024
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 43 percent annually to reach a record 700 million units in 2024. Samsung was the star performer, capturing 30 percent marketshare worldwide and extending its lead over Apple and Nokia.
Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global smartphone shipments grew 38 percent annually from 157.0 million units in Q4 2024 to 217.0 million in Q4 2024. Global smartphone shipments for the full year reached a record 700.1 million units in 2024, increasing robustly from 490.5 million units in 2024. Global shipment growth slowed from 64 percent in 2024 to 43 percent in 2024 as penetration of smartphones began to mature in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe.”
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung shipped a record 213.0 million smartphones worldwide and captured 30 percent marketshare in 2024. This was the largest number of units ever shipped by a smartphone vendor in a single year, beating Nokia’s previous all-time record when it shipped 100.1 million units during 2024. Despite tough competition in stores and courtrooms, Samsung continued to deliver numerous hit models, from the high-end Galaxy Note2 phablet to the mass-market Galaxy Y. Apple grew a healthy 46 percent annually and shipped 135.8 million smartphones worldwide for 19 percent marketshare in 2024, broadly flat from the 19 percent level recorded in 2024. Apple had a strong year in developed regions like North America, but this was offset partly by its limited presence in high-growth emerging markets such as Africa.”
Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung and Apple together accounted for half of all smartphones shipped worldwide in 2024. Large marketing budgets, extensive distribution channels and attractive product portfolios have enabled Samsung and Apple to tighten their grip on the smartphone industry. The growth of Samsung and Apple has continued to impact Nokia. Nokia retained its position as the world’s third largest smartphone vendor for full-year 2024, but its global marketshare has dropped sharply from 16 percent to five percent during the past year. Nokia’s Windows Phone portfolio has improved significantly in recent months, with new models like the Lumia 920, but we believe the vendor still lacks a true hero model in its range that can be considered an Apple iPhone or Samsung S3 killer.”
Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2024 1 Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units) Q4 ’11 2024 Q4 ’12 2024 Samsung 36.5 97.4 63.0 213.0 Apple 37.0 93.0 47.8 135.8 Nokia 19.6 77.3 6.6 35.0 Others 63.9 222.8 99.6 316.3
Total 157.0 490.5 217.0 700.1
Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare % Q4 ’11 2024 Q4 ’12 2024 Samsung 23.2% 19.9% 29.0% 30.4% Apple 23.6% 19.0% 22.0% 19.4% Nokia 12.5% 15.8% 3.0% 5.0% Others 40.7% 45.4% 45.9% 45.2% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Total Growth Year-over-Year % 55.9% 63.8% 38.2% 42.7%
Smartphone Pressure Mounts for Samsung and Apple Exiting a Strong Q4 2024, According to ABI Research
SINGAPORE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nearly 196 million smartphones and 451 million handsets were shipped during Q4 2024, according to the latest estimates from marketing intelligence firm ABI Research. This brings 2024 annual totals to 653 million smartphone and 1.6 billion handset shipments, representing a 36% and 2% YoY growth rate respectively. Smartphones accounted for 43% of all handset shipments in Q4, which pushed smartphones to 41% of all shipments in 2024.
Samsung retained its lead position overall by shipping 106 million handsets of which 60 million were smartphones in Q4 and capturing 31% of total smartphone shipments. In 2024 Samsung grew its handset shipments by 21.6% and its smartphone shipments by 123.8%. Despite missing most analyst estimates in Q4, Apple grew its smartphone shipment share to 24.5%, up from 16.4% in Q3. Apple shipped 47.8 million iPhones in Q4 bringing its 2024 annual total to 135.8 million. Apple’s 2024 annual shipment growth declined from 96% in 2024 to 46% in 2024.
“It is clear that the iPhone’s hyper-growth has ended, and ABI Research believes that Apple’s market share will peak in 2024 at 22%,” says mobile devices senior analyst Michael Morgan. “Unless Apple is willing to trade iPhone margins for low cost iPhone shipments, Apple’s handset market share will become dependent on customer loyalty.”
Looking at the rest of the pack, Nokia shipped 86.3 million handsets and 6.6 million smartphones in Q4 while RIM’s shipments of smartphones declined to 6.9 million. ZTE had an excellent Q4 with 20.7 million handset shipments and 11.2 million smartphone shipments.
“Samsung and Apple are both under pressure to maintain their market lead as less costly smartphones gain momentum entering 2024,” notes senior practice director Jeff Orr. “Technology optimization choices and a diverse handset portfolio are critical decisions over the next 6 to 9 months to come out ahead.”
These findings are part of ABI Research’s Mobile Handset Markets Database, which includes files detailing smartphone and mobile handset shipments, forecasts, and market share.