Apple misses out on big smartphone sales rebound in 2024: Study

Global smartphone sales rebounded strongly in 2024 after two successive years of decline, but Apple barely managed growth, an independent study showed, underscoring the speed with which Android-based rivals are gaining ground in China and emerging markets.

Apple and its rivals will ship 6.2 per cent more phones, or an estimated 1.24 billion units, in 2024, according to market tracker International Data Corporation (IDC).

But iPhone volumes likely edged just 0.4 per cent higher.

Still, Apple remains by far the profit leader, with an average selling price surpassing US$1,000 (S$1,343), while Android rivals collectively came in at around US$295, IDC estimates.

The latest study highlights the uneven recovery of the smartphone market, which slumped in the post-Covid-19 era despite the advent of artificial intelligence (AI).

Much of that 2024 growth came from pent-up demand and regions with lower smartphone penetration, IDC said.