The South Koreans were able to deliver around eight million fewer units worldwide in the fourth quarter, which corresponds to a decrease in the global market share of around 11.8%.
The iPhone 12 drove sales up
According to Gartner, the iPhone 12 was particularly important for the extremely strong sales figures for the iPhone. Never before have so many users updated their iPhones.
The new, improved cameras and the new 5G support have made consumers around the world reach for the new iPhone 12, especially in China and other Asian markets, consumers had been waiting for an iPhone with 5G for a long time. Even if more cautious consumer behavior is still widespread due to Corona, the iPhone 12 was able to motivate so many users to buy.
Global Smartphone Sales Q4 2020 – Infographic – Gartner
This can also be seen when looking at the overall market: around 12.5% fewer smartphones were sold worldwide in 2020 than in the same period of the previous year, only Apple and Xiaomi were able to increase their sales among the top 5 in the world.
