A new report suggests that, thanks to the predicted exceptional performance of the upcoming iPhone 15 series, Apple could potentially dethrone Samsung from its much-earned status as the global leader in the smartphone market. This analysis was provided by the market research firm TrendForce.

In the 2nd quarter 2023, Samsung stayed on top of production charts by rolling out 53.9 million units. Meanwhile, Apple's production was on the lower side in the same quarter, with 42 million units manufactured. However, both giants experienced a drop, Samsung by 12.4% and Apple by 21.2% in a quarter-to-quarter analysis.

Furthermore, the report highlighted that the global smartphone production has been experiencing continuous quarter-after-quarter declines. Following a close to 20% drop in the first quarter of 2023, the figures further shrank by about 6.6%, resulting in a total production of 272 million units. The overall production for the first half of the year stands at a mere 522 million units - this marks a year-on-year decrease of 13.3% and is a ten-year low record for both individual quarters and the first half-year combined.

Consumer markets in several regions, including China, Europe, and North America, have failed to show any significant recovery moving into the second half of the year. Even if the economic indicators in the Indian market show signs of improvement, the report noted, turning around the global decline in smartphone production would still prove to be a significant challenge.

Consequently, due to the unfavorable global economic climate, the experts speculate that the smartphone market could see another shift in the 2nd quarter this year, potentially triggering a further decline in the second half's production. This looks forward to a rather bleak 2024 economic outlook, as mentioned in the report.

The researchers predict an annual global production increase of 2 to 3%, which is subject to the economic trends in various regions. In conclusion, the current and future times look challenging for the global smartphone market, but an optimistic performance from the iPhone 15 could give Apple a significant advantage over Samsung.