According to the latest report released by market research agency Counterpoint Research, global sales of high-end smartphones (wholesale price exceeds US$600) may increase by 6% year-on-year in 2023, setting a new record. In the high-end market, the top five brands with market share in 2023 are: Apple (71%), Samsung (17%), Huawei (5%), Xiaomi (2%) and OPPO (1%).
Among them, Apple is still the undisputed leader in the high-end market, but its market share has declined compared with 2022; Samsung has gained more market share with the Galaxy S23 and foldable series.
From a regional perspective, most of the global high-end market growth in 2023 will be driven by China, Western Europe, India, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) regions.
Counterpoint estimates that high-end mobile phone sales may account for nearly a quarter of global smartphone sales in 2023, accounting for nearly 60% of sales.
In October 2023, data from the agency showed that due to sluggish demand for major brands such as Apple and Samsung in most developed markets, the global smartphone market recorded its worst Q3 performance in 10 years in the third quarter of 2023. In this quarter, global smartphone sales fell by 8% year-on-year, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of year-on-year decline, but increased by 2% quarter-on-quarter. The year-on-year sales decline was mainly due to the slower-than-expected recovery of consumer demand.
At that time, the agency predicted that the global smartphone market would decline in 2023 to reach its lowest level in a decade, mainly due to shifts in device replacement patterns, especially in developed markets.
On November 30, 2023, Counterpoint predicted in a report that global smartphone shipments will decrease by 5% year-on-year in 2023, reaching 1.2 billion units, the lowest level in the past decade. (little fox)