MOVE over, Apple. Samsung is taking back what it lost in the last quarter of 2016. And it has the numbers, courtesy of market-research company IDC, to back it up.

According to IDC’s latest data, Samsung regained control as the leader in the worldwide smartphone market despite a flat first quarter — or still shipping 79.2 million units from January to March 2017, same as the number of devices it moved from January to March in 2016. 

Apple’s shipments may have slightly increased from 51.2 million to 51.6 million units in the same period, but that did not stop the Korean tech giant from dethroning the Cupertino-based company. IDC credits Samsung’s current status to the following factors:

• substantial discounts on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, as the manufacturer made way for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+;
• refreshed Samsung Galaxy A7, A5, and A3 smartphones’ flagship-like design matched with more affordable price points; and
• introduction of updated Samsung Galaxy J-Series in emerging and developed markets.

The three smartphone vendors that rounded out the top 5 all hail from China. 

In third place is Huawei, which grew almost 22 percent as shipments rose from 28.1 million units in the first quarter of 2016 to 34.2 million devices in the same period this year. This was because of the Chinese manufacturers’ “stable position in the premium market with the P and Mate Series, and a strong presence in the affordable sector with its Y Series and Honor brand.” Before it can take over Samsung and Apple, though, it has to capture the U.S. market.

Same as last year, OPPO took the fourth spot and managed to outdo the others in terms of year-over-year change with its 29.8 percent growth. IDC says the OPPO R9s helped it to see strong shipments in its native China. However, it should be noted that OPPO’s sales was still stronger outside of China, thanks to a solid retail presence, aggressive above- and below-the-line activities, and stepped-up after-sales service efforts.

Still in fifth place is Vivo, which shipped 18.1 million phones last quarter, up from 14.6 million units the same period in 2016. As with OPPO, it stepped up its marketing efforts, especially in India, the world’s largest smartphone market. It even introduced single-day phone repairs as a differentiator to the competition.

Will this “top 5” list be the same next quarter? We have another three months to find out.

Main image via Teciber

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