Global smartphone shipments rose 7% in 2024 to about 1.22 billion units, according to full-year figures attributed to Canalys. Apple narrowly remained the largest vendor by annual shipments, just ahead of Samsung, while Xiaomi posted the strongest growth among the three leaders. These are historical shipment estimates—not a measure of phones activated or sold directly to consumers—and should not be read as a picture of the 2026 market.
How much did the smartphone market recover?
The reported Canalys estimate puts worldwide smartphone shipments at approximately 1.22 billion units in 2024, up 7% year over year and ending two consecutive years of decline. The figures were reported on February 4, 2025; the full-year table is attributed to Canalys in secondary coverage, rather than exposed in the official Canalys pages available for this account. Gizmochina’s report of the 2024 figures provides the vendor totals.
That was stronger than Canalys’ November 2023 forecast, which projected 4% growth to 1.174 billion units in 2024. The comparison shows the reported outcome exceeded that earlier forecast; it does not mean the market returned to a prior historical peak. Canalys’ earlier forecast also anticipated that emerging markets would be important to growth.
Apple led the annual ranking, but only narrowly
The full-year vendor figures reported from Canalys put Apple roughly 3 million units ahead of Samsung. The approximate shares below are calculated against the reported total of 1.22 billion units, so they should be read as rounded estimates, not separately reported precise shares.
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| Vendor | Reported 2024 shipments | Reported year-over-year change | Approximate share of reported total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | 225.9 million | −1% | 18.5% |
| Samsung | 222.9 million | −1% | 18.3% |
| Xiaomi | 168.6 million | +15% | 13.8% |
| Transsion | Not stated in the cited full-year report | Not stated in the cited full-year report | Not stated |
Apple’s reported lead is meaningful as an annual shipment ranking, but it is not evidence that Apple dominated the market. Shipment leadership is different from revenue, profit, installed base, or leadership in premium phones. The figures also do not mean Apple reported selling 225.9 million iPhones: Apple does not disclose iPhone unit sales in its current financial-reporting format, and the model-level figures here are market-research estimates.
Transsion was reported to have entered the global top four for the first time. It is the parent company behind Tecno, Infinix, and itel, brands with substantial exposure to price-sensitive markets. No precise full-year shipment total or margin over other vendors is established by the cited report.
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Why Samsung could lead a quarter while Apple led the year
Canalys reported that global shipments grew 12% year over year to 288 million units in Q2 2024, the market’s third consecutive quarter of annual growth. Samsung led that quarter with an 18% share; Apple had 16%, Xiaomi 15%, and vivo and Transsion 9% each. Canalys’ Q2 2024 analysis describes the quarterly estimates and methodology.
There is no contradiction between Samsung leading Q2 and Apple leading the reported full year. Annual rankings add up all quarters; product launch schedules, holiday demand, and regional seasonality can shift a vendor’s position from one period to another. Quarterly and annual shares answer different questions.
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What supported the rebound—and what remains interpretation
The available evidence points to several reinforcing factors rather than a single cause. Canalys’ earlier forecast anticipated improved replacement demand, normalized channel inventories, and stronger growth in emerging markets as inflationary pressure eased in some regions. Its forecast projected 6% growth in Asia-Pacific excluding Greater China, 7% in Europe, and 6% in the Middle East and Africa, while expecting North America to decline 2%. Those were forecasts, not final regional results.
Channel replenishment matters: distributors and retailers can order more phones after working through excess inventory, even before consumer purchases rise by the same amount. Meanwhile, easier financing or subsidies in some markets, broader product ranges, and expansion by Chinese vendors outside mainland China could support shipments. These factors help explain the recovery, but the available figures do not quantify how much each contributed.
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Apple’s position
Apple’s strength in North America and Europe, its premium positioning, and the holiday-quarter release cycle for the iPhone 16 family are plausible context for its narrow annual lead. The secondary report also attributes strong demand to Pro models, estimating that iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max shipments exceeded 55 million units and rose 11% year over year. Treat that as a Canalys-reported model estimate, not an audited Apple disclosure.
Xiaomi’s faster growth
Xiaomi’s reported 15% full-year growth contrasts with the 1% shipment declines for Apple and Samsung. Canalys’ Q2 analysis called Xiaomi the fastest-growing vendor among the top five in that quarter, with 27% year-over-year growth. It linked that quarterly performance to product upgrades and expansion in mass-market segments. Xiaomi’s broad price range, including Redmi devices, and growth beyond China provide context for how it could add units in emerging markets; the shipment data alone does not establish its profitability or average selling price.
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AI was not established as the main upgrade trigger
AI features were a prominent 2024 marketing theme, but they should not be treated as the demonstrated cause of the rebound. Canalys’ earlier forecast expected fewer than 5% of 2024 shipments to include advanced AI-capable chipsets under its definition at the time, and cautioned that on-device AI would have limited immediate effect on upgrades. That forecast does not rule out AI influencing individual purchases; it does argue against assigning AI the main role in aggregate growth.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why global growth concealed very different local outcomes
A worldwide increase can coexist with declines for individual vendors or regions. Southeast Asia offers a clear example: Canalys reported that the regional market grew 12% to 23.5 million units in Q1 2024, while Samsung shipments there fell 20%, Transsion rose 197%, and Xiaomi rose 52%. Canalys’ Southeast Asia Q1 2024 analysis illustrates how sharply vendor results can diverge inside a growing market.
Emerging markets often contribute more unit growth than mature markets, while premiumization can increase industry revenue without a matching increase in units. Lower-cost phones can lift shipment totals without generating the margins associated with premium devices. Distribution, carrier relationships, local availability, financing, and product mix all affect which vendors benefit; a global total cannot show those differences on its own.
How to read shipment estimates without overstating them
- Shipments are not retail sales. Canalys describes its market tables as sell-in estimates: devices supplied into distribution channels. Sell-through means devices sold to consumers, while activations count devices connected to a network. A shipment increase can reflect restocking or inventory movement as well as end-user demand.
- Units are not financial performance. A vendor can ship more phones while earning less per phone; a premium-focused vendor can generate disproportionate revenue with a smaller unit share. Do not compare shipment totals directly with reported revenue or profit.
- Analyst tables may not be interchangeable. Firms can differ in whether they measure sell-in or sell-through, how they group brands under parent companies, and how they revise estimates. The numbers here should be read as the reported Canalys series, not blended with other trackers.
- Estimates can change. Canalys labels quarterly figures preliminary and notes they may be revised. Full-year figures attributed to the firm should likewise be treated as estimates rather than audited manufacturer disclosures.
Canalys’ research operation has since moved to Omdia. The 2024 figures therefore describe a Canalys-era estimate and are a historical market snapshot, not a current forecast or a 2026 update. The Canalys newsroom page identifies the transition to Omdia.
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