Top 6 smartphone brands by production
New research reveals a significant rebound in global smartphone production, marking the end of an eight-quarter slump in 3Q23. In a strategic year-end surge, brands amped up production to capture more market share, propelling Q4 smartphone output up 12.1% to reach 337 million units.
Despite this impressive final quarterly growth, 2023 rounded off with a slight 2.1% dip in annual production — totalling 1.166 billion units, reports TrendForce.
However, the outlook for 2024 hints at a brighter future, free from the inventory pressures of the previous year. Though, the pace of market recovery remains under scrutiny. The spotlight is on AI applications, with industry giants joining forces to usher in the next wave of AI-powered smartphones.
Brands are now ramping up production targets in response to year-end shopping season and market share consolidation.
Apple stole the show in Q4 with a staggering a 58.6% production surge — much thanks to the hype around its iPhone 15 series — cementing its lead with roughly 78.5 million units produced. However, even with this, Apple did see a 4.2% decline in annual production, dropping to 223 million units and securing second place.
With Huawei's resurgence, Apple is anticipated to encounter heightened competition in China's premium market segment, where both brands target the same high-end consumer base.
Samsung saw an 11% decline in production to about 53.5 million units in Q4, yet still holding firm at second place for the quarter. Meanwhile, its yearly production took an 11.3% hit, slipping to 229 million units and narrowing its lead over Apple to a mere 0.5%.
Xiaomi (which includes Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO) slightly increased its Q4 production by 0.7%, reaching 43.1 million units and maintaining its third position – despite a 6.1% annual decrease to 147 million units.
Smartphone brands with a significant stake in the Chinese market are bracing for heightened competition amid a downturn in China’s consumer spending and Huawei’s aggressive market return.
| Ranking | Company | Production | QoQ | Market share |
| 1 | Apple | 78.5 | 58.6% | 23.3% |
| 2 | Samsung | 53.5 | -11.0% | 15.9% |
| 3 | Xiaomi | 43.1 | 0.7% | 12.8% |
| 4 | Oppo | 40.0 | 3.4% | 11.9% |
| 5 | Transsion | 29.5 | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| 6 | Vivo | 25.5 | 4.1% | 7.6% |
Data: TrendForce - March 2024
