Apple regains crown as biggest smartphone maker in Q4 2020 thanks to bombastic iPhone 12 series sales

Last year, Xiaomi temporarily dethroned Apple to become the second-largest smartphone OEM by market share. Of course, that was before the release of Apple's devices for the year, so it's no surprise that the Cupertino-based company has now taken back its place, and gone a step further by whopping Samsung to the top spot.

In a report published by analytics firm IDC, Apple overthrew Samsung to become the biggest smartphone OEM in Q4 2020. The American company sold 90.1 million smartphone units across the quarter; Samsung a distant second with 73.9 million units shipped. Xiaomi came in third with 43.3 million, OPPO in fourth with 33.8 million, and Huawei completing the top five with 32.3.

Apple's performance, in particular, was quite historic. The company's aforementioned 90.1 million units shipped makes for an all-time smartphone record shipment by an OEM in a quarter. That was, of course, down to the success of the iPhone 12 series, with the diversified lineup managing to cater to different demographics. Apple's performance also contributed to a strong year-on-year 4.3% growth for global smartphone shipments.

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