Last year saw the lowest global smartphone sales in a decade, with Apple taking the top spot, overtaking Samsung for the first time, according to IDC data.

Apple iPhone 15Photo: Francis Joseph Dean/Dean Picture, Profimedia

1.16 billion smartphones were sold worldwide, which is more than 30 million fewer than in 2022. For the first time since 2010, the first place is not taken by Samsung, but by Apple.

So Apple shipped 234 million iPhones, while Samsung finished with 226 million. From 2022, Apple’s sales will grow by 4%, while Samsung’s will fall by 13%, according to IDC data.

Xiaomi came in third with 145 million phones and OPPO in fourth with 103 million, both down from 2022. In fifth place is Transsion, a very little-known brand in Europe.

Apple had an exceptional last quarter thanks to the iPhone 15, with 80 million phones shipped, while Samsung sold 57 million and Xiaomi 40 million.