Samsunghas a long-standing presence in the smartphone market through itsGalaxy S series. Yet, several of itsflagship deviceshave struggled to be best-sellers in recent years. That has now changed.
According to new datafrom Canalys, Samsung’s flagship smartphone has made the top 10 bestsellers list for the first time in six years. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung’s 2024 flagship handset, secured a ninth-place position thanks to its strong sales performance. While Apple still maintains a strong lead in the smartphone market, with the iPhone 15 shipping the most units in 2024, Samsung’s flagship series is officially back on the map.
“Samsung delivered its strongest S-series volume since 2019, skewed more toward the Ultra than ever before,” Canalys said inits report.
Galaxy S24 Ultra
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In 2024, Samsung also saw two other phones, the Galaxy A15 and its 5G version, make the best-seller list, outperforming the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Galaxy A15 is a budget-friendly phone from Samsung, offering consumers a solid $200 option for a basic smartphone.
Other smartphone manufacturers, including Oppo, Huawei, and Vivo, also saw modest growth in 2024. Overall, the global smartphone market experienced year-over-year growth of 7 percent, with shipments reaching 1.2 billion units. This marks the highest annual growth rate reported since the pandemic.
“2024 has been a comeback year for the smartphone industry, delivering the highest annual global shipment volume post-pandemic,” said Canalys analyst, Runar Bjørhovde. “Demand has been soaring in the mass-market segment, driven by a refresh cycle of pandemic-bought smartphones.”
Samsung shipped 222.9 million smartphones last year, slightly trailing Apple’s 225.9 million units. The South Korean tech giant is likely hoping to perform even better in 2025 thanks to the recent launch of theGalaxy S25 seriesand the upcoming release of theGalaxy S25 Edge.
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