Korean tech giant Samsung jointly led the way as global smartphone sales continued to bounce back in the last quarter, with manufacturers betting on AI to fuel the handset market’s recovery.
Global smartphone shipments rose 6.5% from April to June, driven by Samsung Electronics and Apple, data from IDC showed on Monday.
Global shipments grew for the fourth consecutive quarter, according to the research firm, as smartphone makers use artificial intelligence to lure price-wary consumers.
Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team, said there’s “lots of excitement” in the smartphone market, thanks to higher average selling prices and the buzz around gen AI smartphones, which are expected to capture 19% of the market this year.
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“As Apple and Samsung both continue to push the top of the market and benefit the most from the ongoing premiumization trend, many leading Chinese OEMs are increasing shipments in the low end in an attempt to capture volume share amid weak demand,” Popal said, adding that sales of mid-range devices are now feeling the pressure.
Apple held its developer conference last month where it showcased new AI features for its iPhones powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Samsung also held its Galaxy Unpacked event last week where it announced new models for its Galaxy fold and flip as well as new AI features.
Samsung held the first spot with an 18.9% share of shipments in the second quarter, followed by Apple with a 15.8% share and Xiaomi with 14.8%.
- Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara
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