WORLD
Samsung continues to rule over Apple in smartphone market
Baku, July 27, AZERTAC
Apple may have sold 47.5 million iPhones last quarter, but Samsung still took home a bigger slice of the smartphone market, according to a report released Thursday by IDC.
During the second quarter of 2015, Samsung bit off a 21.7 percent slice of the global smartphone market with shipments of 73.2 million units, according to IDC. Those numbers were actually down from the same quarter in 2014 when the Korean mobile-phone maker snagged a market share of 24.8 percent on shipments of 74.9 million. But Samsung's numbers last quarter were still high enough to outshine those of Apple.
Apple's second-quarter market share was 14.1 percent, according to IDC, with shipments totaling 47.5 million. Those figures were higher than last year's second quarter when Apple's market share was 11.7 percent based on shipments of 35.2 million. (Apple reported earnings Tuesday, saying it sold 47.5 million iPhones during the quarter.)
Apple and Samsung have long been duking it out for the title of king of the smartphone market. Over the past few years, Samsung has more often than not won the title each quarter. Apple emerged the leader in the final quarter of 2014 based on strong sales of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, according to research firm Gartner. But Samsung quickly regained its No. 1 spot the following quarter, according to fellow researcher Strategy Analytics. Despite Samsung's declining market share, the company has still built up enough of a solid portfolio to keep it at the top of the smartphone pack.
Samung ran into trouble with its new Galaxy S6 Edge, with supply unable to keep up with demand, IDC said. But the company's older Galaxy class phones sold "briskly" as a result of the steep discounts and sales promotions unveiled last quarter.
Though still in second place, Apple did well last quarter, scoring its biggest fiscal third quarter ever with sales of 47.5 million iPhones. The iPhone dominated in China, buoyed by demand for the big-screen iPhone 6 lineup and the growing expansion of 4G networks in the country, IDC said.
Chinese vendors Huawei and Xiaomi took third and fourth place, respectively, as both continue to eat up more market share and generate higher sales.