Samsung is one of the top phone manufacturers in the world, and its phones rank highly among consumers and critics alike. Samsung’s Galaxy range features prominently in lists of the best Android phones, with the Note and S-series ranking among the best smartphones overall. The best Samsung phones boast fantastic cameras, feature-rich software, and some of the best displays available.
Samsung offers a diverse set of offerings across a range of budgets, from budget devices like the Galaxy A54 to flagships like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and some of the top foldable phones. Samsung was ranked number one for customer satisfaction among 5G mobile devices in the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey. So, let’s dive in and discover about Samsung’s annual smartphone sales.
- Key Statistics: Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Sales
- Overview: Samsung’s Smartphone Market History
- Milestones and Key Product Launches: Samsung Galaxy
- Samsung Galaxy Annual Sales Report
- Comparisons: Samsung Smartphone and Its Other Business Segments
- Regional Analysis: Samsung Galaxy Smartphone
- Samsung Smartphone Comparison with Competitors
- Future Projection for Samsung Galaxy Smartphones
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Key Statistics: Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Sales
- Samsung share of global market for the second quarter of 2023 was 20.2%
- In the second quarter of 2023, Samsung shipments of smartphones was around 53.5 million
- As of 2023, the number of Samsung smartphone users reached 1.033 billion
- In 2022, Samsung globally distributed an estimated 258.2 million smartphones
- Samsung Galaxy S series such as Samsung Galaxy S10+ and S21+ 5G are the most popular Samsung phone models in America
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra recorded the world’s best selling Android smartphone in the first quarter of 2023
- Experts found that Samsung A-series is the most sold Samsung model
- Samsung Galaxy S23, which includes the Samsung Galaxy S23, Samsung Galaxy S23+, and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, is the latest Samsung S-series model
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best overall Samsung Galaxy phone
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the latest Samsung foldable phone
- Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi hold more than 50 percent of the global smartphone market share
- In the United States, over 30% of people aged 30 to 49 use a Samsung smartphone
- In 2022, Samsung held a commanding 63 percent share of the smartphone market in South Korea
Overview: Samsung’s Smartphone Market History
Samsung has a long history in the smartphone market. This began in the 1980s when the company explored the cell phone industry and released its own mobile phone to the South Korean public in 19881. Unfortunately, Samsung struggled to gain a foothold in the market, with some products being known for poor performance and quality.
Despite these issues, Samsung continued to innovate and in June 20092, it launched its first smartphone, the Galaxy GT-17500. This new innovation was received exceptionally well by the market. Since then, Samsung has produced dozens of smartphones, each outperforming its predecessor with eccentric new features and designs.
Today, Samsung is a major player in the smartphone market, with a global market share of 20.2% in the second quarter of 20233. Samsung’s smartphone revenue amounted to $72 billion in 20214. This indicates that Samsung’s smartphones are still in high demand and that the company is continuing to be a major player in the smartphone market.
Milestones and Key Product Launches: Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Galaxy is a series of smartphones that has been in the market since 2009 with the launch of Galaxy GT-17500. Since then, Samsung has launched several other types of Galaxy smartphones, including the Galaxy S, Note, A, and Z series. In this section, we will explore the milestones and key product launches of Samsung Galaxy, with a focus on the Galaxy S, Note, A, and Z series.
Samsung Galaxy S Series
The Galaxy S series has constantly evolved, and Samsung has released several milestone devices in this series. Interestingly, the Galaxy S series has been at the heart of Samsung’s smartphone success, and the company became the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer on the strength of Galaxy S devices.
Table below represents the Milestone and release date of each Galaxy S Series:
| Samsung Galaxy S Series | Release Date |
| Samsung Galaxy S | June 2010 |
| Samsung Galaxy S II | May 2011 |
| Samsung Galaxy S III | May 2012 |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 | April 2013 |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | April 2014 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | April 2015 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | February 2016 |
| Samsung Galaxy S8 | April 2017 |
| Samsung Galaxy S9 | February 2018 |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 | February 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy S20 | February 2020 |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 | January 2021 |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 | January 2022 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 | February 2023 |
Samsung Galaxy Note Series
The Galaxy Note series has been a significant player in the smartphone market. While Samsung has since stopped the series production, its shipments5 of 12.7 million units in 2019, and 9.7 million units in 2020 shows the brand was globally valued by the brand’s subscribers. The Note series has large screens and stylus pens (S-Pens) with a lot of functionalities.
The Galaxy Note series smartphone launch dates are represented in the following table.
| Samsung Galaxy Note Series | Release Date |
| Samsung Galaxy Note | October 2011 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note II | September 2012 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | September 2013 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 4 | September 2014 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 5 | August 2015 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 7 | August 2016 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | September 2017 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | August 2018 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 10 | August 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | August 2020 |
Samsung Galaxy A Series
The A-series of Samsung Galaxy smartphones was first launched in 2014, with Galaxy Tab A launching the following year, 20156. This series of Samsung Galaxy is the most budget friendly, and has been popular among budget-conscious consumers. Features like 5G connectivity, multi-camera systems, expandable memory, and long-lasting batteries make this model one of the best buy.
Here is a table representing the release of the Samsung Galaxy A model.
| Samsung Galaxy A Series | Release Date |
| Samsung Galaxy A | December 2014 |
| Samsung Galaxy A3 | December 2014 |
| Samsung Galaxy A5 | December 2014 |
| Samsung Galaxy A7 | January 2015 |
| Samsung Galaxy A8 | July 2015 |
| Samsung Galaxy A9 | December 2015 |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | February 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A20 | March 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A30 | March 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A40 | April 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A50 | February 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A60 | June 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A70 | April 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A80 | May 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A90 | September 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 | January 2023 |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 | March 2023 |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 | March 2023 |
Samsung Galaxy Z Series
The Galaxy Z series has been at the forefront of foldable smartphone innovation. It features foldable screens, allowing users to switch between a phone and a tablet form factor. The first series of this model was launched in 2019, with Z Fold/Flip 5 being the latest series of this model.
Table below represents the first launch of Samsung Galaxy Z series to the latest.
| Samsung Galaxy Z Series | Release Date |
| Samsung Galaxy Z | February 2019 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip | February 2020 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold | September 2020 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2 | August 2021 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 | August 2021 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 | August 2022 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 | August 2022 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 | August 2023 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 | August 2023 |
The Samsung Galaxy series has been a significant player in the smartphone market since its inception. Till date, it continues to innovate and push boundaries with each new release of its mobile technology.
Sources: Make Use Of1, Buildd2, Statista3, CounterPoint Research4, Make Use Of5, Gadget3606
Samsung Galaxy Annual Sales Report
Samsung ranks as the leader of global smartphones in the market in the year 20221. This is a decent record from Samsung, as the global market for smartphones fell steeply in the third quarter, and drastically for the fourth in 20222. We will focus on sales, shipments and market share by years in this section.
Samsung Annual Revenues
With a 4% increase year-over-year, Samsung recorded $20.4 billion on its smartphone in the first quarter of 20233.
| Year6 | Samsung Revenues (Billion USD)6 | YoY Change (%) |
| 2023 | 42.23 | |
| 2022 | 88.35 | 0.11% |
| 2021 | 88.24 | 5.29% |
| 2020 | 82.95 | -4.37% |
| 2019 | 87.32 | 2.49% |
| 2018 | 84.83 | -6.25% |
| 2017 | 91.08 | 5.16% |
| 2016 | 85.92 | -2.47% |
| 2015 | 88.39 | -6.01% |
| 2014 | 94.4 | -23.13% |
| 2013 | 117.53 | 35.88% |
| 2012 | 81.65 | 34.7% |
| 2011 | 46.95 |
The revenues shown in the table above for 2023 only represent the Q1 and Q2 revenue for the year.
Samsung’s revenue journey over the years has been a rollercoaster. After initial rapid growth up till 2023, it faced a significant drop and later entered a period of relative stability with minor fluctuations. The drop in 2020, -4.37% YoY, was assisted by the viral covid-19 pandemic which disrupted the entire global market.
Samsung Annual Shipments
In Q2 20235, Samsung smartphones registered 15.2% year-over-year reduction in shipments, declining from 63.1 million units in the same quarter of 2022 to 53.5 million units.
| Year4 | Samsung Shipments (Million)4 |
| 2022 | 258.2 |
| 2021 | 272.3 |
| 2020 | 266.8 |
| 2019 | 295 |
| 2018 | 292.2 |
| 2017 | 317.7 |
| 2016 | 309.6 |
| 2015 | 321 |
| 2014 | 318.1 |
| 2013 | 316.4 |
| 2012 | 214.3 |
| 2011 | 94 |
| 2010 | 22.9 |
Samsung smartphones experienced a decrease of 14.1 million unit shipments from 2021 to 2022, showing a decline of 5.17% year-over-year growth. Over the 13-year span, the average shipment sold stood at approximately 277.5 million units. These figures provide a benchmark for evaluating future shipment performance. In addition, growth culminated in a peak of 321 million units in 2015.
Samsung Annual Market Share
In the second quarter of 2023, Samsung’s smartphone market share stood at 20.2%, representing a decrease from its 21.8% market share during the corresponding quarter in 2022.
| Year7 | Samsung Market Share Shipments (%)7 |
| 2023 | 21.35% |
| 2022 | 21.45% |
| 2021 | 20.13% |
| 2020 | 20.6% |
| 2019 | 21.6% |
| 2018 | 20.9% |
| 2017 | 21.8% |
| 2016 | 21.28% |
| 2015 | 22.5% |
| 2014 | 24.83% |
| 2013 | 31.38% |
| 2012 | 30.3% |
| 2011 | 18.38% |
| 2010 | 7.03% |
The Samsung market share for 2023 only reprresent the firsta nd second quarter of the year.
Since 2010, Samsung enjoyed the highest market share for smartphones. In that year, it recorded a 31.38% market share according to the data above. Unfortunately, its market share rate kept slowing down until it slightly recovered in 2018. Notably in 20168, Samsung’s delayed response to the Galaxy Note 7 sharp drop-off in demand led to a severe loss of consumer confidence.
Sources: Statista1, TechNext2, Investing3, Bank My Cell4, Daze Info5, Statista6, Statista7, CNN Buisness8
Comparisons: Samsung Smartphone and Its Other Business Segments
Samsung Inc. has different product and business segments where the company makes its money from. Harman, for instance, is another business acquired by Samsung in 20161. Till date, the company adds significantly to Samsung income.
We compare the Samsung Galaxy Smartphone with other businesses and products that serve as income streams for the company. The following table shows the revenues generated in the first and second quarter of 2023 from Samsung business.
| Segments | Q1 2023 ($Billion) | Q2 2023 ($Billion) | Total ($Billion) |
| Samsung Mobile and Comm.2 | 23.53 | 18.7 | 42.23 |
| Harman | 2.43 | 2.66 | 5.09 |
| Visual Display | 5.69 | 5.51 | 11.2 |
| Digital Appliances | 5.09 | 5.43 | 10.52 |
| Networks | 0.83 | 0.71 | 1.54 |
| Memory | 6.83 | 6.82 | 13.65 |
| Device Solutions | 3.68 | 11.19 | 14.87 |
From the table, it’s obvious that Samsung generates most of its revenues from the line of Smartphone production and sales. Device solutions are the other income streams that give samsung high returns, followed by Memory sales.
Sources: Korea Times1, Statista2
Regional Analysis: Samsung Galaxy Smartphone
Samsung mobile devices are not only for the population of its birth country, but competing for the global largest market since its inception. Below is Samsung’s smartphone devices market share around the globe.
| Region | Market Share (%) |
| South America6 | 41.7% |
| Australia4 | 35.1% |
| Western Europe1 | 35% |
| Africa5 | 32% |
| Southeast Asia2 | 27% |
| North America3 | 23% |
In the chronological as represented in table above, each region is ranked according to how they value Samsung smartphone products.
Sources: Canalys1, Canalys2, Canalys3, Canstar Blue4, Statista5, Statista6,
Samsung Smartphone Comparison with Competitors
Samsung is an established global brand regarding smartphone devices, but the brand does not own the entire market. Other brands, like iPhones, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and others, are also in competition to gain more market to themselves. The following sections compare all of these brands.
Comparisons: Market Share for 2023 Quarters
| Smartphone Brands | Q1 2023 (%) | Q2 2023 (%) | Average (%) |
| Samsung1 | 22.5% | 20.2% | 21.35% |
| Apple iPhone2 | 21% | 27.6% | 24.3% |
| Xiaomi | 11%3 | 12%4 | 11.5% |
| Oppo | 10%3 | 13%5 | 11.5% |
| Vivo/Transsion | 8%3 | 10%5 | 9% |
| Others | 27.5% | 22.2% | 24.85% |
Comparisons: Shipment for 2023 Quarters
| Smartphone Brands | Q1 2023 (Mn Units) | Q2 2023 (Mn Units) |
| Samsung | 60.36 | 53.57 |
| Apple iPhone | 58.06 | 42.57 |
| Xiaomi | 30.56 | 33.27 |
| Oppo | 26.66 | 25.47 |
| Vivo/Transsion | 20.96 | 25.37 |
In the first and second quarters of 2023, Samsung, Apple iPhone, Xiaomi, and Oppo continued to dominate in terms of market share and shipments. Interestingly, Vivo secured the fifth position in both categories for the first quarter, while Transsion surprisingly claimed the same spot in the second quarter.
Sources: Statista1, Demand Sage2, Canalys3, Gizmochina4, Canalys5, Canalys6, Daze Info7,
Future Projection for Samsung Galaxy Smartphones
Samsung is expected to release the Galaxy S24 series in early 20241, most likely in February. According to rumour2, this new model will include a 6.1-inch standard model, a 6.6-inch Galaxy S24 Plus, and a 6.8-inch Galaxy S24 Ultra. Also, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is anticipated to have an upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and One UI 5.1 software, making it the most powerful and long-lasting Galaxy S series smartphone yet.
Roh Tae-moon, the head of Samsung Mobile, in 20223 made a bold prediction about the future of smartphones. He anticipates that by 2025, foldable devices will account for more than 50% of Samsung’s total premium smartphone shipments, effectively becoming the new standard in the industry.
Sources: Phone Arena1, Tom’s Guide2, Sportskeeda3
Conclusion
Samsung is a leading manufacturer of smartphones in the global market. With its sleek design, Samsung keeps innovating and producing quality smartphones to stay ahead of its competitions, including the iPhone and Xiaomi. Such a decision has helped the company make huge revenues and enjoy the largest share of the smartphone market.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In 2023, the Samsung Galaxy A14 is the top-selling model with 12.4 million units sold, followed by the Galaxy S23 Ultra at 9.6 million units. The Galaxy A14 5G and Galaxy A54 5G also performed well, with 9 million and 8.8 million units sold, respectively. These figures underscore Samsung’s broad appeal, offering a range of phones from budget to high-end that resonate with consumers.
According to Statista, Samsung has shipped approximately 2.8 billion smartphones worldwide from 2010 to the second quarter of 2023.
Samsung shipped 95 million smartphones worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2017, which is the highest number of Samsung smartphones shipped in a quarter.
In the second quarter of 2023, Samsung raked in a substantial 18.7 billion USD in revenue. While the company faced a staggering 95% drop in profits, mainly due to a slump in the demand for memory chips, there’s a silver lining that global demand will recover in the second half of the year.
In the first half of 2023, Samsung sold a total of 113.8 million smartphones, with 60.3 million units in the first quarter and 53.5 million in the second quarter. This impressive sales volume highlights the company’s strong standing in the global smartphone market.
