Global smartphone sales are increasing for the fourth quarter in a row. This is largely thanks to Apple, which had its best third quarter ever.

Canalys takes a look at the global smartphone market after every quarter. After a difficult year in 2023, the market is smiling again at smartphone manufacturers. For the fourth quarter in a row, more units were sold than a year ago, five percent more to be precise.

At the top of the list we see the expected names. Samsung is at the top with a market share of 18 percent, but now has to come to terms with Apple. The South Korean company lost three percentage points compared to the previous year. The top 5 is completed by the Chinese manufacturers Xiaomi, Oppo (and OnePlus) and Vivo.

Early climax

Apple’s position is strange. Apple typically peaks in the fourth quarter, when new iPhones are freshly released and stores are in a rush. These Canalys figures are based on the third quarter ended September 30th. The iPhone 16 was announced on September 9th, so it had no impact on the past quarter.

Analysts at Canalys also note that there appears to be a shift in power in the smartphone market. Demand for the iPhone 15 remained high throughout the year. “Apple delivered its highest volume ever in the third quarter and has never been closer to leading the global smartphone market in a third quarter than it is now,” emphasized Runar Bjørhovde, analyst at Canalys.

Of course, every quarter is a snapshot. Apple secured its top position in the last quarter of last year and was able to defend it well this year. Next quarter we will likely get another top value from Apple. Will Apple finally seize power?