The latest data from market research firm IDC shows Samsung's share of the worldwide smartphone market dropped to 20% in the third quarter -- its lowest market share since recording 19.9% in the fourth quarter of 2014. IDC estimates Samsung shipped 72.5 million smartphones in the quarter, down 13.5% compared to the estimated 83.8 million smartphones it shipped in the year-ago period.
The decline can be at least partially attributed to Samsung's disastrous Galaxy Note7 recall in early September, although the impact of that move on the third quarter was limited to only a few weeks. Samsung's market share and financial results will likely suffer more greatly in the fourth quarter as the recall and subsequent discontinuation of the Galaxy Note7 weigh on the entire three-month period.
Apple finished runner-up to Samsung as usual with 45.5 million iPhones sold, down 5.3% versus the 48 million iPhones it sold in the same quarter last year. Apple's worldwide market share was 12.5%, down slightly from 13.4% in the year-ago quarter. Samsung's Galaxy Note7 recall could further boost sales of the already-popular iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus heading into the holiday shopping season.
Higher than expected iPhone 7 Plus demand outstripped supply, which should be alleviated through the fourth quarter, helped by new features such as water resistance, faster processing, improved optics, and larger storage capacities. A new "jet black" color option has also proven popular with many carriers and retail partners are still showing the device on back order. IDC believes that the iPhone could witness greater success come next quarter as it stands to likely benefit from the Note 7 recall that took place earlier this month.
Chinese smartphone manufacturers Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo rounded out the top five vendors in the third quarter with 9.3%, 7%, and 5.8% market share respectively. Huawei in particular came within striking distance of Apple with an estimated 33.6 million Android-based handsets shipped in the quarter, including the flagship Huawei P9, representing 23% year-over-year growth.
The possibility of Chinese brands ever surpassing Apple or Samsung in smartphone shipments will greatly depend on their ability to enter the U.S. and European markets, where their presence is currently limited. All smartphone makers also have to deal with an increasingly saturated market that saw only 1% growth in the third quarter. Overall shipments rose totaled an estimated 362.9 million units.
Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below.
Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important.
Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped.
The new ...
Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year.
Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more.
Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1.
Release Date
Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors.
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Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out.
Processor and Performance
Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker.
The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy.
The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device.
The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...
I won't disparage against Samsung. It's an unfortunate situation and it only got worse After the replacements being banned by the FAA. In short, Samsung will rebound and consumers will won't abandon them. Samsung will bring a game changer Phone that will be successful.
Damage is done. Time to move on and make it right again. All in due time.
To all the Samsung haters, just remember that competition is a good thing, and there will be a "next time" at some time, and it might hit closer to home.
To all the Samsung haters, just remember that competition is a good thing, and there will be a "next time" at some time, and it might hit closer to home.
To all the Samsung haters, just remember that competition is a good thing, and there will be a "next time" at some time, and it might hit closer to home.
There's competition in other phones besides Samsung. When you put out a phone that endangers people's lives, you deserve all the bad press you get
