Experts think that Apple’s hotly awaited AI offering Apple Intelligence could be encouraging some consumers to upgrade to newer iPhones.
The global smartphone market has recorded its best quarter since 2021, according to analyst firm Canalys.
Smartphone shipments grew 5% year-on-year worldwide in Q3 2024, hitting 309.9 million units, making for the strongest single quarter since 2021.
The analysts put this down to “aggressive launches” from smartphone brands such as Samsung and product announcements and supply chain improvements from Apple.
Samsung nabbed the top spot in the analyst’s rankings with 57.5 million shipments shipped in Q3, while Apple retained second place from last quarter with a record 54.5 million units. Xiaomi took third place with 42.8 million units shipped and a 14% market share
Canalys Analyst Le Xuan Chiew said consumer demand for Apple’s new suite of generative AI tools Apple Intelligence was one factor behind Apple’s record-setting performance.