Gartner said in a statement Monday that the launch of the 5G iPhone 12 series took Apple to first place in the fourth quarter. According to Gartner’s data, which tracks sales to consumers, the last time Apple was the best smartphone seller was in the fourth quarter of 2016.
appeal (AAPL), which launched its 5G series in mid-October, sold nearly 80 million smartphones in the last three months of 2020, an increase of 15% over the same period last year.
The company also shipped the most iPhones ever to distributors in a single quarter, at 81.8 million, according to research published by Canalys-based Canalys late last month. By that measure, Apple outperformed Samsung’s fourth-quarter sales since 2017.
The last three months of the year are often Apple’s strongest because it usually launches new iPhones in September. It was delayed until October last year due to supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Samsung usually upgrades its flagship Galaxy S phones in February, contributing to a much stronger performance in the first quarter. This year, the company announced new models a month early.
Apple’s double – digit growth was achieved despite a shrinking market. According to Gartner, world sales of smartphones declined by 5.4% in the fourth quarter amid rising unemployment and weaker consumer spending due to the pandemic. Smartphone sales decreased by 12.5% in 2020 compared to the previous year.
“While consumers have remained cautious with a discretionary purchase, 5G smartphones and camera features have encouraged some end users to buy new smartphones or upgrade their current smartphones in the quarter,” said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner.
“The iPhone 12 is a hit,” Canalys analyst Vincent Thielke added in last month’s report. “Apple is better positioned than its competitors on 5G because it is strongly skewed towards developed markets and sales channels for mobile operators.”
Samsung is still the best for the year
Samsung (SSNLF) sold 62 million smartphones in the fourth quarter. The company maintained its position as the largest global smartphone maker for the full year despite a 15% decline in sales and competition from Chinese competitors such as Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo, Gartner said.
Huawei, which eclipsed Samsung in the second quarter of 2020, had the biggest decline among the top five smartphone providers, causing it to lose its second-place position for Apple for the full year. The brand has achieved fourth position worldwide in the last three months of the year, Gartner said.
Gartner said the U.S. government’s sanctions, which blocked the use of popular Google applications and services on its smartphones, hurt sales. The company announced it she sells it budget of smartphone company, Honor, in November, which could further reduce sales of smartphones.
Gartner sees global smartphone sales recovering this year. “The growing demand for affordable 5G smartphones outside China will increase smartphone sales in 2021,” Gupta said.
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