Apple topped global smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of 2019, beating Samsung Electronics and Huawei. This is due to the popularity of iPhone 11 that was released as a low-end model.
According to a market research company Counterpoint Research, Apple regained its No. 1 position. in the global smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2019, it grows 11 percent from a year earlier.
“Although Apple did not release 5G (fifth generation mobile telecommunication) Smartphones, it received positive responses as iPhone 11 was released at a lower price than iPhone XR.” said Counterpoint.
After years, Apple regains it no 1 stop of the world smartphone market, pushing down Samsung
Samsung gave up its No. 1 spot to Apple in the fourth quarter. But its overall sales remained at the top with a 20 percent share last year, up 2 percent from a year earlier. Samsung aggressively targeted mid- to low-end markets by drastically improving the A series, and also led the 5G market.

Despite the U.S. sanctions, Huawei remained second in overall sales last year. Huawei took up 40 percent of its market share in China, with 60 percent of its total sales occurring in China.
The global smartphone market fell 1 percent last year, marking the second consecutive year of decline. The market, on the other hand, grew in the fourth quarter of last year from a year earlier. And the pace decreased from a 4 percent fall in 2018.
Last year, the smartphone market expected market growth with 5G and foldable phones. But uncertainties such as the U.S. sanctions on Huawei and Japan’s export regulations on South Korea hampered the market.
Meanwhile, for the Indian market, another change has occurred. Samsung did not only lose in the global shipment but also in India, which is the second largest market in the world.
Though it has been sitting at the second place after Xiaomi since 2016, it now sat at the third place. Vivo surged up at the second place on 2019 Q4.