Apple gained ground on smartphone leader Samsung Electronics in global sales during the second quarter. But the market recorded its slowest growth in two years, according to market researcher Gartner.
The iPhone maker sold 48 million smartphones in the second quarter, up 36%. Samsung sales dipped 5.3%. Apple market share increased from 12% during the same time period last year to 14.6%, while Samsung share dipped to 21.9% from more than 26%.
"Apple's double-digit growth in the high-end segment continued to negatively impact its rivals' premium phone sales and profit margins," Gartner said in a statement accompanying the report. "Many vendors had to realign their portfolios to remain competitive in the midrange and low-end smartphone segments."
Apple's gains came largely at the expense of Samsung. The electronics giant continues to get squeezed after Apple matched the larger screen sizes of Samsung's Galaxy line, with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. At the same time, Chinese companies like Huawei and Xiaomi are eating into Samsung's share with the growing popularity of budget smartphones.
Worldwide sales of smartphones jumped 13% to 330 million during the second quarter, but it was the slowest rate of growth since 2013. Gartner research director Anshul Gupta says growth continues to soar in emerging markets, but sales were "mixed" in other regions, citing a slowdown in China — the biggest country for smartphone sales.
"China has reached saturation. Its phone market is essentially driven by replacement, with fewer first-time buyers," Gupta says. "Beyond the lower-end phone segment, the appeal of premium smartphones will be key for vendors to attract upgrades and to maintain or grow their market share in China."
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