Canalys: US smartphone shipments fell 5% year-on-year in Q3 2023

The latest research from Canalys shows that the US smartphone market continued its downward trend, shrinking another 5% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2023. Despite this, iPhone shipments grew 21% month-on-month to 31 million units, driven by Apple's latest iPhone release and carrier promotions for premium device upgrades.

Apple's shipments fell 8% to 17.2 million units. The late arrival of the iPhone 15 compared to the iPhone 14 contributed to the decline in sales. Samsung's sales recovered slightly compared to the second quarter of 2023, with shipments of 6.8 million units. The new foldable phone improved its performance and accounted for more than 20% of its shipments. Motorola achieved its best quarter since the second quarter of 2022, with a market share of 9% and a year-on-year increase in shipments of 14%. TCL and Google Pixel followed closely behind, each with a 4% market share and shipments of 1.3 million and 1.2 million units, respectively.

“The US smartphone market is stabilizing, but a turnaround is not expected in the fourth quarter,” said Canalys analyst Runar Bjørhovde. “The wireless communications industry is battling a prolonged downturn that has impacted device promotions and subsidies. Despite strong sequential postpaid subscriber additions and upgrade rates for Tier 1 operators, handset sales are lagging last year’s figures. Operators are intensifying their focus on driving service revenues through flexible plans and customer retention initiatives. They were cautious about aggressive device promotions in the third quarter, which will continue into the fourth quarter and the holiday season.”