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Move over, Apple and Samsung, the world has a new largest phone maker

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By Daniel Petrov

Published: Feb 02, 2018, 5:29 AM

Move over, Apple and Samsung, the world has a new largest phone maker

Apple has seemingly dethroned Samsung for the title of the world's largest smartphone maker in Q4, selling 77.3 million iPhones, against Samsung's 74.4 million handsets. Granted, Samsung made about $30 of net profit per handset, while Apple makes $200+, but when it comes to topping the market share charts, it's been a fight between these two last year, followed by the rise of Huawei.

For the first time in a while, however, we have a new company that can be called the world's largest phone maker, and it's neither Apple, nor Samsung, but the BBK Group. The Chinese conglomerate crafts multiple handset brands, such as Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus, and their models sold more units combined than Apple or Samsung last quarter, according to Counterpoint Research.

BBK has been jostling for the second spot last year, but the Q4 numbers propelled it to the top, and we can only imagine what will happen when the Chinese New Year hits this month, with all the resulting boost in sales there. To top it off, its brands are in the top 5 in terms of profits from phone making, too. As you can see from Counterpoints' breakdown, only the Chinese companies are actually registering any significant shipments' growth, both in Q4, and for the whole of last year, which would explain BBK's achievement here.

source: Counterpoint

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.