Apple claims top spot in fourth-quarter smartphone market
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Smartphone sales around the world fell during the fourth quarter of 2022, but that didn't stop Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) from claiming its largest-ever quarterly share of the smartphone market. 
According to data from research firm Canalys, worldwide smartphone sales in the final three months of last year fell by 17% from the fourth quarter of 2021, to about 300M devices. However, Apple (AAPL), and its line of iconic iPhones, claimed 25% of the smartphone market during the quarter, up up from 23% in the same period a year ago.
Apple (AAPL) was followed by Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF) and its 20% market share. Chinese smartphone maker Xaiomi took third place with an 11% market share, while Oppo came in fourth, with a market share of 10% and Vivo with its 8% market share.
With its fourth-quarter results, Canalys said smartphone sales for all of 2022 fell by 11% from 2021, to 1.2B devices.
Canalys analyst Runar Bjorhovde said that the market during the quarter was highlighted by strong promotional incentives during the holiday season, and weakness in demand for high-end smartphones. Bjorhovde said that that smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2022 "stands in stark contrast" to the fourth quarter of 2021 "which saw surging demand and easing supply issues."
Going forward, another Canalys analyst, Le Xuan Chew, said that for 2023, smartphone vendors "are cutting costs to adapt to the new market reality, and building partnerships "will be important for protecting market shares as difficult market conditions for both channel partners and vendors can easily lead to strenuous negotiations."
On Tuesday, Apple (AAPL) was focused on things other that the iPhone, as the company unveiled several new products, including an upgraded version of the MacBook Pro laptop.