According to preliminary data from International Data Corp., global smartphone shipments increased by nearly 8% in the first quarter of the year, marking the third consecutive quarter of growth. Samsung reclaimed the top spot, shipping 60.1 million units, a slight decrease of 0.7% from the previous year.
289.4 million smartphones were shipped during that quarter, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
Apple came in second, with 50.1 million units shipped, a 9.6% drop from last year. Xiaomi and Transsion, the third and fourth-largest smartphone makers, saw their market shares increase by 34% and 85%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Nabila Popal, a research director at IDC, stated that consumers are purchasing more expensive devices because they plan to keep them for a longer period, resulting in improved average selling prices.
In related news, the U.S. government has filed a massive antitrust lawsuit against Apple, which is expected to take years to resolve. However, the iPhone maker’s troubles with European regulators provide insight into the changes American customers may experience in the future.
The U.S. lawsuit aims to prevent Apple from undermining competing technologies in areas such as streaming, messaging, and digital payments. It also seeks to stop the tech giant from including language in its contracts with developers, accessory makers, and consumers that allows it to obtain or maintain a monopoly.
These issues are similar to those that the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, has been grappling with for years. EU antitrust watchdogs have initiated multiple cases accusing Apple of violating the bloc’s competition laws while also implementing strict digital rules to prevent tech companies from dominating digital markets.
The efforts made by Brussels will soon impact the way Apple conducts business and the experience iPhone users have in Europe. These changes may indicate what U.S. Apple users can expect in the future if the Justice Department succeeds in its lawsuit.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.