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Apple’s share of the global smartphone market contracted in the third quarter of 2020 as part of a broader slowdown attributed to coronavirus concerns, placing the iPhone maker in fourth place.
According to new estimates from research firm Gartner, Apple shipped 40.6 million iPhones during the quarter that ended in September to capture a market share of 11.1%. Year-on-year growth fell 0.6%, taking the company from third to fourth place.
First, Samsung was one of two companies that posted growth in the third quarter with sales exceeding 80.8 million units, 2.2% more than in the same period last year. The performance was good enough to take 22% of the market and nearly double Apple’s iPhone shipments.
Despite a huge year-on-year contraction of 21.3%, Huawei remained in second place with 51.8 million smartphone sales and a market share of 14.1%.
Xiaomi was the biggest driver of the quarter, rising 34.9% to unseat Apple for the first time. The Chinese upstart sold 44.4 million phones to grab a 12.1% market share.
Oppo completed the top five with 29.9 million units sold and a 8.2% market share, 2.3% less than in the same period last year.
Overall, global smartphone sales declined 5.7% year-over-year as consumer spending stalled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, the situation is improving as economies slowly come back to life after government-imposed lockdowns.
“Consumers are limiting their discretionary spending even as some lockdown conditions have begun to improve,” said Anshul Gupta, senior director of research at Gartner. “Global smartphone sales experienced moderate growth from the second quarter of 2020 to the third quarter. This was due to pent-up demand from the previous quarters.”
It should be noted that market research companies like IDC have a questionable track record when it comes to estimating Apple unit sales. Apple executives, including CEO Tim Cook, have disputed the quarterly forecasts in the past, implying they are largely inaccurate.
Apple was hit especially hard during the third quarter. The tech giant typically unveils new iPhone models in late September, an update cycle that propels sales figures moving into the lucrative holiday quarter. This year, however, the development and production ramp for iPhone 12 series devices was delayed as the virus forced Chinese partner vendors to slow down or suspend operations.
The iPhone maker finally launched its current-generation line of phones in mid-October.
