IDC has published preliminary data on mobile sales for the first quarter of 2024. And they are interesting for several reasons. One for improving the sector and the other for Samsung’s recovery from first place among the manufacturers that Apple took over from him, which was a historic change.

Global mobile phone sales rose 7.8% year-on-year to 289.5 million units in the first quarter of 2024. While IDC warns that the industry is not completely out of the picture, as macroeconomic challenges persist in many markets, for the third quarter in a row in positive numberswhich the analyst firm considers a strong indicator that the recovery of the smartphone sector (and the entire technology market in general) is underway.

“The smartphone market is emerging from the turbulence of the last two years, stronger and changed”, they assure from the consulting firm. In addition to unit numbers, researchers continue to see growth in value and average selling prices (ASPs) as consumers opt for more expensive devices knowing they will keep their devices longer.

Mobile phone sales by manufacturer (Q1 2024)

One of the remarkable data comes from the change in the first place. Recall that Samsung dominated the mobile market year after year from 2010 to 2023 Manzana -for the first time- it would displace the South Korean giant worldwide.

And not a bit. Samsung 60.1 million units would be shipped, giving it a market share of 20.8 percent, compared to 50.1 million iPhones, down 9.6%. There is no doubt that the Galaxy S24 and its AI capabilities have boosted the Asian firm’s sales. As for Apple, although the launch of the iPhone 16 may reverse the downward trend, analysts believe that it may be difficult to convince the company to upgrade its older iPhones, especially if they do not include enough AI innovations.

It should be noted that both Samsung and Apple lost market to their pursuers. Xiaomiafter the fall of the last two years, the market is reviving to 40 million units, and the Chinese group Transsion is the one that is making the most progress as it enters the international market.