Fresh figures from Canalys showed Apple’s latest foray into lower price tiers could be timely, with the vendor’s smartphone shipments into Europe barely changed in 2024, a year in which the overall market returned to growth.
Apple shipped 34.9 million units compared with 34.6 million in 2023, though this was still enough to hold second place in Canalys’ tables.
Canalys’ figures indicated Apple is maintaining a high value per shipment, though. Analyst Runar Bjorhovde noted the US vendor and Samsung were the main drivers in the movement of a record-high number of high-end smartphones priced at $800 and above, 41 million units in total.
Apple also surged shipments of lower-end iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models into the channel ahead of the implementation of a European Union (EU) USB-C directive which resulted in those devices being discontinued just before the turn of the year.
“The newly launched iPhone 16e is critical for Apple’s position in Europe, helping it maintain a presence in the mid-range”, the analyst stated.
Bjorhovde noted the latest model would also boost availability of AI play Apple Intelligence “ahead of its expansion into the EU later in the year”.
Canalys credited Samsung’s Galaxy S24 as helping it maintain its lead in Europe, with a total of 46.4 million units shipped compared with 43.7 million.
Comeback kid
Bjorhovde said mass market models “made a comeback”, with vendors including Lenovo-owned Motorola, Oppo and Honor beginning to chomp at the heels of dominant players Samsung and Xiaomi in this segment.
Pursuing mass-market vendors benefitted from “strategically targeting a few core markets”, the analyst said, adding Motorola achieved “an all-time high” in the region.
Bjorhovde cautioned 2025 may prove trickier as an EU “eco-design directive” due to be implemented in late June means many “portfolios must be upgraded and refreshed”.
“The directive will particularly disrupt the competitive dynamic between mass-market-focused vendors, as margins are already tight and potential price increases can rapidly impact demand.”
All told, shipments in 2024 grew 5 per cent year-on-year to 136.1 million units.