Apple reported a record number of Q3 iPhone shipments worldwide
Despite posting record global Q3 iPhone shipments of 54.5 million units last quarter, it was Samsung that led the industry in smartphone deliveries over the three months from July through September. According to Canalys, Samsung shipped 57.5 million handsets during Q3 which included the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 foldables. Samsung had a 2% decline in the number of phones shipped year-over-year which resulted in a small decline in market share to 19%.
Apple grew its Q3 iPhone deliveries by 9% and the aforementioned record 54.5 million iPhone units shipped gave it an 18% market share. During last year's third quarter, Samsung shipped 8.6 million more phones than Apple. That gap has been reduced by 65% to 3 million phones. Apple was helped by the late Q3 release of the new iPhone 16 series.
Canalys Analyst Le Xuan Chiew noted that Apple achieved record Q3 shipments driven by a strategic blend of channel and supply chain optimization. "Post-WWDC’s Apple Intelligence announcements, consumers are actively upgrading from older iPhone 12 and 13 models to embrace this new technology. Moreover, Apple’s diversified iPhone production, notably in India, has significantly reduced lead times, streamlining pre-order fulfillment and stimulating local demand through competitive pricing."
Apple reduced Samsung's lead in global smartphone shipments during the third quarter of 2024. | Image credit-Canalys
Chiew went on to add, "Supplementary production of previous-generation iPhones, such as the iPhone 13 and 15, in India has further bolstered Apple's operator channel shipments into the US and Europe, enabling it to reclaim market share in the mid-range segment and capitalize on replacement demand. Nevertheless, it is vital to note the geopolitical obstacles, and the delayed deployment of Apple Intelligence may substantially hinder Apple's performance both in the festive fourth quarter and in 2025."
Following Samsung and Apple, in third-place we have Xiaomi. The Chinese phone manufacturer shipped 42.8 million phones from July through September which was the result of a 3% increase in deliveries on an annual basis for the quarter. Xiaomi's market share remained flat at 14% during Q3 2024 compared with Q3 2023.
There was a huge drop off in the number of smartphones shipped between third-place Xiaomi and fourth-place Oppo as the latter delivered 28.6 million handsets during the third quarter. Oppo had a solid 8% annual increase in shipments over the three months which allowed it to keep its 9% market share.
The phone manufacturer among the top five that had the best improvement in shipments during the third quarter was vivo. One of the brands belonging to China's BBK Electronics (along with Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, and iQOO), vivo delivered 27.2 million phones during Q3 which was up 24% over the 22 million it shipped during last year's third quarter. As a result of the big gain, vivo's Q3 market share rose from 7% last year to 9% this year.
Worldwide, 309.9 million phones were shipped during the third quarter of 2024. That is up 5% compared to the 294.6 million units shipped globally during last year's third quarter.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: