Samsung regains the lead in smartphones from Apple

Samsung regains the lead in smartphones from Apple

Market research firm Canalys said: Samsung snatched the crown from Apple as the world's largest smartphone producer, with one-fifth of its global sales in the first quarter.

And Xiaomi, the Chinese company, recorded its best quarterly performance ever, with shipments increasing 62 per cent to 49 million phones with a 14 per cent market share, ranking third after Samsung and Apple.

Overall, global sales jumped 27 percent to 347 million units in the first quarter, as the Chinese economy opened up after the epidemic, and the rapid introduction of the vaccine in the United States raised hopes for an economic recovery.

Canalys said: South Korea's Samsung shipped 76.5 million smartphones this quarter, capturing 22 percent of the market.

The company announced, today, Thursday, that it increased its quarterly profit by 66% in its mobile business, thanks to strong sales of its flagship smartphone series, the Galaxy S21.

Canalis explained that Apple shipped 52.4 million iPhones from January to March, dropping to second place with a 15 percent market share, after dazzling Chinese shoppers in the December quarter with the new iPhone 12 equipped with 5G technology.

People who upgrade to the new iPhone are still pushing sales, and Apple said total sales in China have nearly doubled.

Last year, people were shopping online for phones and devices because they stayed home due to the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a global shortage of semiconductor chips, causing industries including cars to worry.

"The supply of vital components, such as chips, is rapidly becoming a major concern and will hamper smartphone shipments in the coming quarters," said Canales.

Apple said the chip shortage could cost it $ 4 billion in revenue in the April-June quarter, mainly affecting iPads and MacBooks.

Smartphone shipments for the March quarter increased to Chinese brands OPPO and Vivo as well, while the Chinese company Huawei, which was once the largest smartphone maker in the world, ranked seventh with 18.6 million units after selling its Honer brand last year.

Huawei's shipments to retailers and other sellers within China also halved in the first quarter, as US sanctions on its supply chain curtailed expansion even as overall sales fell, despite a booming smartphone market.

The company shipped a total of 14.9 million phones within China in the quarter ending in March, down from 30.1 million in the same period last year.

Its market share declined to 16 percent from 41 percent a year ago, becoming the third largest after the Chinese brands Vivo and Oppo.