Apple Vs. Samsung: Apple Sees Flat 2017 Q1 Sales Despite iPhone SE, RED iPhone 7 Release

With little fanfare, Apple released the iPhone SE and the iPhone 7 RED Special Edition last month and those releases did little to help the company's Q1 numbers, according to data released by the International Data Corporation (IDC).

Phone companies overall shipped a 347.4 million smartphones globally in the first quarter of 2017, growing 4.3 percent. However, shipments of Apple iPhones remained “essentially flat,” preliminary results of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker show. The Cupertino company shipped 51.6 million units in Q1 2017, a bit more than last year’s 51.2 million first quarter figure.

Read: iPhone 8 vs. Galaxy S8: Apple Wants Higher-End Display Than Samsung’s Flagship Has

Apple Vs. Samsung

Samsung seems to be moving forward from last year’s Galaxy Note 7 debacle. The Apple rival “regained control as the leader in the worldwide smartphone market despite a flat first quarter,” IDC said. The Korean company had a zero percent year-to-year growth, however discounts on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge helped the company sell last year’s flagship models as it geared up for the release of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Samsung’s less expensive smartphones, such as the J-Series and A-Series, also helped out the company.

“A refreshed A7, A5, and A3 earlier this quarter, along with a recently updated J-Series, and new flagship S8/S8+ should give Samsung a well-balanced portfolio across all regions in the second quarter,” IDC predicted. “An early positive response to the recently launched S8 and S8+ looks promising as it may have finally put Samsung's Note 7 fiasco to bed.”

Meanwhile, Huawei and Vivo saw their year-over-year numbers grow by more than 20 percent, although the shipment volume in Q1 2017 was less than Apple and Samsung’s figures.

Apple iPhone 8 Sales

Apple probably won’t be left behind this year, especially with the release of the upcoming 10th anniversary iPhone 8, which could also be called the iPhone Edition, iPhone Pro or iPhone X.

“Despite any formal announcements from Apple it is safe to say the industry is highly anticipating what comes from this year's iPhone announcements," IDC’s Ryan Reith said in a statement.

Read: iPhone 8 To Have Vertical Dual-Camera, Display-Embedded Fingerprint Sensor, Leaked Dummy Hints

Apple is expected to release the OLED display iPhone 8 this September alongside two LCD models, the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus. The iPhone 8 is rumored to have a price tag exceeding $1,000.

However, some reports suggest Apple will face delays with the 10th anniversary device. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said earlier this week mass production of the iPhone 8 could be delayed until October-November, instead of the traditional August-September timeframe. Kuo said the possible delay of the iPhone 8 could be a “potential downside risk to shipments” of all three iPhones slated to be released this year.

Another risk could come from Apple’s rivals, including Samsung and Huawei, which are gearing up to release high-end full-screen devices this year. Rival smartphones could impact sales of the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus. In a worst-case scenario for Apple, the company could see iPhone shipments plummet by 15 to 20 percent, Kuo said.

Apple is expected to reveal its 2017 first quarter results during its Q2 2017 earnings conference call next week.