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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Worldwide smartphone shipments rose 7.1% in 2024, but Apple’s shipments fell 1.4%, according to Omdia’s estimates. Apple still ranked first among smartphone makers by annual shipments: this was a modest decline during a recovering market, not an iPhone collapse.
What happened to the smartphone market in 2024?
Omdia estimated that smartphone makers shipped 1,223.1 million phones worldwide in 2024, up from 1,141.9 million in 2023. That is a 7.1% year-over-year increase. The rebound followed a weaker 2023, though the figures here do not establish a single cause for the recovery.
Apple moved in the opposite direction. Omdia estimated Apple’s 2024 shipments at 225.9 million, down 1.4% from 229.1 million in 2023. Despite that decline, Apple remained the world’s largest smartphone maker by annual shipments in Omdia’s ranking. Omdia’s full-year preliminary shipment estimates were published in 2025.
Why do reports show different growth rates?
“Sales” can refer to different stages of the market. Shipments count phones sent into distribution channels; sell-through tracks phones sold through to customers; revenue measures money generated. Those metrics need not move at the same rate.
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Omdia estimated worldwide shipments grew 7.1% in 2024. Counterpoint Research reported 4% growth in global smartphone sell-through, alongside 5% revenue growth and a record $356 global average selling price. These are separate estimates using different measures, not competing versions of one figure. Counterpoint’s 2024 market report discusses its sell-through and revenue measures.
How did other smartphone makers perform?
Omdia’s estimates show that the rebound was uneven. Xiaomi, Transsion, and vivo all grew faster than the market overall, while Apple and Samsung recorded small declines.
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| Vendor | 2024 shipments | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | 225.9 million | Down 1.4% |
| Xiaomi | 168.6 million | Up 15.4% |
| Transsion brands (Infinix, itel, and Tecno combined) | 106.7 million | Up 15.3% |
| vivo | 100.9 million | Up 14.0% |
All figures in the table are Omdia’s worldwide shipment estimates for calendar 2024. Omdia cited Chinese manufacturers’ overseas expansion and recovering demand in China and India among factors supporting some competitors, but those factors should not be treated as a complete explanation for the global rebound. Omdia’s vendor estimates and market commentary provide the figures and context.
What do Apple’s fourth-quarter figures show?
Apple shipped an estimated 77.1 million phones in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared with 78.1 million in the same quarter of 2023, according to Omdia. The iPhone 16 lineup launched during 4Q24 and contributed to that quarter’s volume, but Apple’s shipments were still lower year over year. A launch during the quarter, by itself, does not establish why the full-year result changed.
Omdia analyst Jusy Hong said Apple faced difficulties in China. Hong pointed to longer iPhone lifespans and demand for used and refurbished phones as factors affecting shipments of standard and legacy iPhone models. That is an analyst’s explanation for China-related pressure; it does not prove those factors were the sole cause of Apple’s global annual decline. Omdia’s fourth-quarter figures and analyst commentary supply that context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the rebound does—and does not—mean
For consumers and personal-finance readers, the broad takeaway is that the smartphone market recovered while results differed by manufacturer. A lower shipment estimate for Apple does not mean the iPhone lost its annual shipment lead, and worldwide shipment growth does not mean every brand—or every sales measure—grew.
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Keep the comparison tied to its metric and period: Omdia’s 7.1% is annual worldwide shipments, Counterpoint’s 4% is annual worldwide sell-through, and its 5% is revenue growth. None of these figures alone measures the number of people who bought a new phone, the performance of a particular iPhone model, or the state of sales in every country.
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