Apple rules festive quarter as global shipments grow in Q4: IDC

Apple delivered a phenomenal performance in the December quarter, returning to the top position with 90.1 million devices shipped, driven by the success of the iPhone 12 series

New Delhi: Vendors shipped a total of 385.9 million devices during the festive quarter as the worldwide smartphone market continued to improve, returning to positive 4.3 per cent (on-year) growth, an IDC report said on Thursday.

Apple delivered a phenomenal performance in the December quarter, returning to the top position with 90.1 million devices shipped, driven by the success of the iPhone 12 series, according to preliminary data from the IDC’s ‘Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker’.

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While the full year 2020 declined 5.9 per cent compared to 2019, the progress toward market recovery has been impressive, said the IDC, adding that the momentum heading into 2021 will remain strong.

“There are a lot of elements at play that are fueling the smartphone market recovery – pent-up demand, continued supply push on 5G, aggressive promotions, and the popularity of low to mid-priced phones,” said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.

“Vendors also seem to be better prepared for the second lockdown, ensuring they have the right channel set up ready to fulfill orders and reach the end consumer,” Popal added.

For Apple, the festive quarter represents the highest shipment volume from a vendor in a single quarter and resulted in 23.4 per cent market share and 22.2 per cent (YoY) growth.

Samsung moved to number 2 in Q4 with 73.9 million device shipments and 19.1 per cent market share.

With the continued success of the A series and growth in nearly every region, Samsung saw year-over-year growth of 6.2 per cent.

“As the world progresses towards a post-pandemic environment, IDC believes demand will grow and the market recovery will accelerate,” said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.

Xiaomi finished the quarter in the third position with shipments of 43.3 million and 11.2 per cent market share while OPPO was fourth with shipments of 33.8 million and 8.8 per cent market share.

Huawei fell to the fifth spot with shipments of 32.3 million and 8.4 per cent market share, the IDC said.