Global smartphone production driven by Apple’s peak production season

TrendForce reports that global smartphone production in the last quarter of 2024 reached 334.5 million units, reflecting a 9.2% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) increase.

The research group says this was driven by Apple’s peak production season and consumer subsidies from local Chinese governments. While Apple expanded production with the launch of new models, Samsung faced production declines due to intensified competition in emerging markets.

In the first half of 2024, the smartphone market was no longer impacted by high channel inventory compared to the same period last year, according to TrendForce. With seasonal demand and government subsidies driving growth in the second half, total annual production reached 1.224 billion units—a 4.9% YoY increase. However, 2025 production growth is expected to slow to just 1.5%, as global economic recovery remains sluggish and geopolitical risks, including tariff hikes, weigh on consumer spending.

Apple surged to the top spot after producing 80.1 million units—a 57.4% QoQ jump—in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to TrendForce. Its total 2024 production remained steady at 223 million units, similar to the previous year. 

However, its AI-powered features currently support only limited languages, failing to significantly boost sales, adds TrendForce. A global rollout of multilingual AI functions in April 2025 is expected to drive renewed demand, the research group notes. 

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