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Apple no longer holds absolute power in the smartphone market. Many competitors are trying to 'steal' the iPhone maker's lunch.
According to research firm IDC, iPhone sales fell nearly 10% in the first quarter of this year. That means Samsung has reclaimed the smartphone crown from Apple in terms of shipments. While iFans remain famously loyal, IDC’s report suggests that could change as competition heats up.
Here are three names that are threatening the position ofApple:
Xiaomi
Xiaomi ranks 360th on the Fortune Global 500 list, higher than Netflix and Uber. Its latest flagship, the Mi 14, has received strong support in its home country of China. Xiaomi is also behind the popular Redmi Note series of phones.
Xiaomi is China’s fifth-largest phone maker, behind Vivo, Huawei, Honor and Apple in terms of market share. However, the company also has a strong presence in international markets, especially India.
Xiaomi doesn’t sell smartphones in the US, in part due to political concerns, according to IDC researcher Nabila Popal. After seeing what happened to Huawei, Popal said no Chinese company wants to risk making a big investment in a market that could ban them at any time, after all.
Xiaomi also sells electric cars. Its first model, the Speed Ultra 7 or SU7, shows that Xiaomi has succeeded where Apple has failed. In the first quarter of 2024, Xiaomi's smartphone sales increased by 33.8%, firmly holding the third position globally.
Transsion
Transsion manufactures the Tecno, Itel and Infinix smartphone brands. While not well known in the West, Transsion is popular in Africa for its ultra-cheap devices, according to IDC.
Transsion’s presence in Africa is bolstered in part by the Digital Silk Road, part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Its phones have multiple SIM slots, allowing people to switch between networks easily. Their keyboards also support African languages.
Recently, Transsion introduced Techno Phantom V, a folding phone model quite similar to Samsung Galaxy Z.
Samsung
Samsung is the iPhone's arch-rival. The Galaxy S24 is one of the most popular Android phones. The Korean electronics company also has the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Fold foldable phones. Now, the company is looking to integrate more AI features into the Galaxy line.
In the first quarter, Samsung surpassed Apple to become the world's largest smartphone maker, even as sales fell 1%.
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