Apple's iPhone has become the world's best-selling smartphone for the first time, after rival Samsung lost its 12-year lead, according to figures obtained by AFP.
According to data from the International Data Corporation, the iPhone stole the crown from Samsung in 2023 with 234.6 million devices sold compared to the South Korean firm's 226.6 million devices.
The American tech giant has a 20.1 percent market share compared to Samsung's 19.4 percent, IDC said.
Analysts at the closely watched market tracking company said Apple's rise was due to the success of premium devices such as the iPhone.
They also pointed to the increasingly fragmented Android smartphone market, citing Samsung's low-end rivals such as Transsion and Xiaomi, as well as Honor and Google.
The success of Huawei's well-received offerings in China also had an impact on Samsung's sales decline, IDC said.
The sales figures come ahead of the latest version of Samsung's models, which is expected at an event in California this week.
According to IDC, global smartphone shipments fell 3.2 percent to 1.17 billion units in 2023, although the group said the industry is recovering from a weak period.
"Growth in the second half of the year solidified the expected recovery for 2024," IDC said in a statement./BGNES
