In 2023, U.S. smartphone sales increased by 8% year-on-year, with Apple's iPhone performing extremely strongly, becoming the main driver of growth. Apple's sales share climbed to 64% in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a Counterpoint Research report obtained by AppleInsider, which is the highest market share since the fourth quarter of 2020.
The iPhone's stellar performance led to an 8% year-over-year increase in overall smartphone shipments, which Counterpoint attributes to Apple's recovery from the chaos caused by the pandemic-induced factory shutdown last year. "Q4 is generally very strong for Apple due to strong demand for iPhones during the holiday season. "Throughout 2023, Apple made a breakthrough in the prepaid market with N-2 or N-3 devices, such as the iPhone 12 or iPhone 11, to significantly lower sales, which also helped it expand its share in this segment." ”
At the same time, overall sales of Android phones fell, with Counterpoint pointing that the lower-end segment, which is priced below $300, "saw the biggest decline." Hanish Bhatia, associate director at Counterpoint, wrote: "The outlook for 2024 will largely depend on the direction of the US economy, and as it is an election year, it usually means an improvement in various economic indicators. ”
Bhatia further**: As a result, demand is expected to pick up in all segments, driving modest growth throughout the year. Virtual operators (MVNOS) such as Google Fi will continue to bring competition to the prepaid market due to their increased presence in the national retail channel. With the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) funding likely coming to an end or decreasing, this will be another driver for the low-end market. ”
post by jack