A new Canalys report unveils the continuous decline in smartphone shipments but hints at a slight increase in demand next year. It also cites that the decline has been narrowed to 6%, with total shipments reaching 32 million in Q3 2023. However, Samsung and Apple retained their top positions with a market share of 25% and 22%, respectively. Xiaomi, Motorola, and TCL garnered good sales in the quarter, and their overall sales are expected to grow in Europe.

Must See: Four iPhones Among The Best-Selling Flagship Phones In Q1, 2023: Canalys

Samsung and Apple Sales Saga in Europe – Q3 2023

There have been challenges for Apple and Samsung this quarter, as the retailers tried to reduce stocks of old smartphones, which led to a decline in shipments. Even Samsung’s strategy to shift focus from the Galaxy A Series to the more profitable mid-range smartphone, the S Series Flagship, and foldable led to a resilient demand. For Apple, the USB Type-C cable-led iPhone 15 increased its shipments by 59%. But, to reduce overstocking of iPhone 14 and older models, the retailers paused the shipments, which led to an overall decrease in shipments in Q3 2023.

Samsung remained at the top with 35% overall smartphone market share, and Apple at 22%. Xiaomi’s strong demand in the mid-range with its Redmi Series led to fetching 19% of the market share. Motorola and TCL gained 5% and 3% market share, respectively.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi, Motorola, and TCL registered significant growth in shipments, but it was limited to the low-to-mid-range segment. Buffer created by Samsung’s focus shift from low-end to high-end market paved the way for these OEMs to usher. Xiaomi gained the largest chunk with the sale of Redmi and Redmi Note 12 models in the Central and Eastern Europe regions. Motorola maintained its prowess with its best quarterly performance and registered a 30% YoY increase in shipments.

Better 2024 for Smartphone OEMs in Europe

“Canalys predicts the market will grow by 4% in 2024. The rest of this year remains important for vendors seeking to redeem their performance in 2023, start 2024 with positive momentum, and clear out channel inventory ahead of new product launches in the first half of 2024,” said Runar Bjørhovde, Analyst at Canalys.

Though the year 2023 remained not so well for the smartphone companies globally, as per the market experts, the European market will improve in 2024. It will move 4% up due to a refresh cycle of the mid-range devices bought in 2020 and 2021. Other reasons and the market’s positive momentum will further fetch good sales in the coming year. Even the ongoing festive season and enticing discounts are luring customers to grab or replace their smartphones.

Related:

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR