Despite Note 7 Fiasco Samsung Ships Over 311m Smartphones Worldwide in 2016

Despite Galaxy Note 7 debacle, and 5.2% decline in the global smarphone market share compared to year 2015, Samsung was able to ship 311.4 million smartphones in 2016.

Apple
Statistics released by the International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that Apple reclaimed the top spot thanks largely to the success of the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

Despite a strong fourth quarter, 2016 marked the first full year of declining shipments for the iPhone with a 7% year-over-year drop.

Apple shipped a record 78.3 million units in the fourth quarter, up 4.7% from the same quarter one year ago.

Although the iPhone 7 did not feature a drastically different industrial design from its predecessor, it did bring yet another significantly improved processor, more robust camera, water resistance, and new color/finish options.

Much like Samsung, all eyes will be on Apple's next flagship, and all signs point to something very special for the tenth anniversary of this iconic product.

Samsung
Samsung dropped to second in the worldwide smartphone market with shipments declining 5.2% compared to last year.

The Korean giant shipped 77.5 million units in 4Q16, down from the 81.7 million units shipped last holiday quarter.

On the year, Samsung shipped 311.4 million smartphones worldwide, which was down 3% from the 320.9 million shipments in 2015.

Despite the Note 7 debacle and growing pressure from Chinese vendors, Samsung still managed to find success with its S7 and popular J-series of devices in numerous markets.

The challenging holiday quarter, however, did bring its worldwide market share below 20% for the first time in over four years, leaving no better time for the pending arrival of its next flagship product, the Galaxy S8.

Huawei
Huawei retained the number three position while gaining worldwide market share in 4Q16. The quarter marked the first time the Chinese giant captured double-digit share with 10.6% of the total shipment volume.

Huawei shipped 45.4 million units in the quarter, up 38.6% from the 32.7 million shipped in the fourth quarter of 2015. For the year, Huawei shipped 139.3 million units, up 30.2% from the 107 million units shipped in 2015.

The P series and Honor sub-brand drove essential volume in China as well as other countries in Asia and beyond.

With proven success in China and many European countries, Huawei now has its sights set on the U.S. Whether or not the U.S. market becomes a serious playing field for Huawei is yet to be determined, but the recent release of the Mate 9 in the U.S. has surely caught the attention of both Apple and Samsung at the high end, while Honor brand devices will continue to drive the mid-tier.

OPPO
OPPO continued its push to reach the top of the market with its fourth straight quarter of greater than 100% year-over-year growth.

OPPO shipped 31.2 million smartphones in the holiday quarter, which was up 117% from the 14.4 million smartphones shipped in 4Q15.

The focus for OPPO over the past year has been international expansion outside of China and so far it has been successful at this.

Beyond China, Southeast Asia and India have been the focal points for OPPO's growth in 2016 supported by intense marketing campaigns and new product launches. The company also began ramping up its presence in the Middle East and if momentum can pick up, a strong 2017 could be ahead.

Vivo
Vivo remained the number five vendor with 24.7 million smartphones shipped in the holiday quarter, which was up from the 12.1 million shipped last holiday season.

Over the year, vivo shipped a total of 77.3 million smartphones, up 103% from the 38 million last year.

The majority of the shipments continue to be in China, however, and much like OPPO, vivo has been extremely aggressive with its marketing in a number of countries in Asia as it looks to extend its global reach.