Apple returns to the top of the European smartphone market

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Apple and Samsung have been long-time rivals in the smartphone industry, with the pair continually battling to be the most popular smartphone in the world. In Europe, it appears that Apple has regained the lead.

In analysis released by Canalys on Tuesday, Apple has become the top-ranked smartphone producer in the market, in terms of shipments. Apple saw growth of 1% year-on-year to 12.4 million units, which was enough to take first place after seven quarters behind Samsung.

The position change wasn’t entirely down to Apple seeing marginal growth in a market that saw shipments fall 3% year-on-year to 37.8 million units in Q4 2023. Part of it was due to Samsung’s own results.

A chart of European smartphone vendor market share [Canalys]

Canalys put Samsung at 10.8 million units, a drop of 12% year-on-year for the South Korean giant. Its stable S-series and mid-range A-series shipments helped offset the poor regional results, and helped maintain Samsung as the largest vendor throughout 2023.

Elsewhere in the table, Xiaomi declined 10% to 6 million units and third place. Motorola and Honor were in fourth and fifth place respectively with 2 million units and 1.1 million units, with Motorola seeing a 73% positive YoY change to Honor’s 116% growth.

“High-end smartphones took a record share of the European market in Q4 2023,” explains analyst Runar Bjorhovde. “Almost 40% of smartphone shipments were priced at $800 or higher,” with sales fueled by strong iPhone 15 Pro demand.

Apple is also aiming to make a push for the “impending refresh cycle,” Bjorhovde continues, including “exploring new routes to market” like working with banks, such as its co-piloted program with Santander in Spain.

For 2024 in general, the European smartphone market is predicted to see a return to single-digit growth prompted by the aforementioned refresh cycles. In the long run, Apple and other device makers are expected to focus more on the on-device AI user experience, increased personalization, and ecosystem integration.