A record 1.3 billion smartphones were shipped globally during 2014, with more than one in six people alive anywhere on the planet purchasing a new phone during the year, according to IDC figures.
Despite its recent troubles, Samsung still came out on top, shipping 318.2 million phones for 24.5% of the market for the full year, up slightly from 316.4 million phones a year earlier.
This beat Apple’s 192.7 million phones and 14.8% market share, with the iPhone maker seeing its market share slide from 15.1% a year earlier. Apple’s shipments grew 25.5% from 153.4 million shipments a year earlier.
The top five was rounded out by Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei with 73.6 million units and 5.7% of the market, Lenovo/Motorola, which shipped 70 million units, and LG, which shipped 59.2 million.
The figures also show the smartphone industry had a record fourth quarter in the lead-up to Christmas. Apple’s newly released iPhone 6 and 6 Plus boosted total worldwide smartphone shipments to 375.2 million, up from 292.7 million a year earlier.
In a disastrous result, Samsung’s shipments fell to 75.1 million in the quarter, down 11% from a year earlier, while Apple’s grew to 74.5 million, up 46% year-on-year. The top five was rounded out by Lenovo/Motorola (24.7 million), Huawei (23.5 million) and Xiaomi (16.6 million).
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
