The global smartphone sales in the fourth quarter of 2016 have reached 432 million units mark which is seven percent rise over the same period in 2015. Apple has finally surpassed Samsung to secure the top spot after a wait of eight quarters, as per a report by Gartner.
Apple did well in 2016 thanks to its iPhone 7 and Apple Watch line-ups. The Cupertino-based firm has announced its revenue figures in recent times which revealed that it has witnessed the record revenue of $78.4 billion for the quarter that ended on December 31. Interestingly, the International sales of the quarter have accounted for 64 percent.
The smartphone sales of Apple in 2016 to the end-users was totalled almost 1.5 billion units which are five percent increase over 2015 results, the report added.
“It has taken eight quarters for Apple to regain the top spot in global smartphone vendor ranking but the positions of the two leaders have never been so close, with only 256,000 units difference,” said Anshul Gupta, Research Director, Gartner, in a statement.
The smartphone sale of Samsung has dropped by eight percent in the Q4 of 2016 which contributed to 2.9 percent share drop year-on-year.
The pull out of the Galaxy Note 7 from the market left an opening in the large-screen phone space. The growing competition in the entry-level and mid-range smartphone space also affected the sales of Samsung. Inversely, smartphone makers like Huawei, BBK, Gionee, and Oppo have grown their smartphone sales each quarter, the report added.
Other smartphone vendors including Huawei, Oppo, and BBK have reported for the global smartphone sale of 21.3 percent to the end-users during the fourth quarter of 2016. The figures have increased by 7.3 percent over year-on-year. Oppo has managed to offer devices with high-performance, fast charging technology, and great front-facing cameras to keep the top spot in China during the fourth quarter of 2016.
The fourth quarter of 2014 was the last time when Apple had led the top position, as the company offered its first ever large-screen devices named as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. In 2016, the boosted number of sales was the result of the success of its flagship smartphones- the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
In addition, the weakened demand for Samsung mobiles in the prominent markets such as Western Europe, North America, Australia, Asia, and South Korea have benefited Apple in sales.