Samsung extended its lead over Apple in terms of worldwide smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2015, before the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge even began shipping. The gap between the two smartphone manufacturers will widen in the second quarter, according to technology market intelligence firm TrendForce.
In the first quarter, a total of 291.2 million smartphone units were shipped around the world, a 9.2 percent decline from the 320.8 million units shipped in the prior quarter. The larger-than-expected drop is attributed to a weak market in China, according to Taiwan-based TrendForce.
Samsung was the No. 1 smartphone manufacturer in the first quarter, claiming 27.8 percent of all worldwide shipments. Apple was second with 19.9 percent of the market. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the gap between the two top dogs was narrower (24.7 percent of Samsung, 23.3 percent for Apple).
These figures don’t include Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones, which were officially released on April 10. Preorders on some carriers began on March 27, but TrendForce’s report covers shipments.
“Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have successfully captured consumers’ attention in the first quarter,” according to the report. TrendForce forecasts worldwide shipments of Samsung’s two flagship models to exceed 20 million units in the second quarter. The firm projects Samsung to ship more than 80 million total units in the second quarter, while Apple is expected to ship 45 million units.
China-based Huawei finished the first quarter in third with 7.0 percent of worldwide smartphone shipments, followed by LG with 6.2 percent and Lenovo with 6.0 percent. All other smartphone manufacturers accounted for 33.0 percent of shipments.
TrendForce’s report also lists the top five smartphone makers in China in the first quarter: Huawei, Lenovo, Xiaomi, TCL, and Coolpad. Huawei stole the No. 1 spot in China from Lenovo.
