Samsung retook the lead in the global smartphone market in the first quarter , as gains in emerging market sales helped it overtake Apple , a research group said Wednesday . IDC said Samsung sold 82.4 million smartphones in the first three months of the year , for a 24.5 percent market share . However , Samsung said its first quarter net profit plunged 39 percent as consumers switched to bigger iPhones , squeezing earnings from its mobile business to less than half what they were a year earlier . Samsung retook the lead in the global smartphone market in the first quarter , as gains in emerging market sales helped it overtake Apple , a research group said ©Jung Yeon-Je ( AFP/File ) Samsung sold 82.4m smartphones in the first three months of the year , for a 24.5 percent market share . Apple held an 18.2 percent market share after selling 61.2 million iPhones . Even though the number of handsets sold was down seven percent from a year ago , it outpaced Apple , whose iPhone sales slipped slightly from the final quarter of 2014 . Apple held an 18.2 percent market share in early 2015 after selling 61.2 million iPhones . The figures were impacted by seasonal and other factors . Samsung notably launched its flagship Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones at the end of the quarter in April , while Apple iPhone sales dipped compared with the stronger holiday quarter . In the fourth quarter , Apple and Samsung were virtually tied with around 20 percent of the market each , according to several surveys . 'The challenge made by Apple for the top spot in the fourth quarter returned to a clear lead for Samsung in the first quarter , despite the soaring global demand for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus , ' said IDC analyst Anthony Scarsella . 'Samsung 's shipments , given that the S6 was not launched into the market for the full quarter , were driven by large volumes into emerging markets and steady demand for its midrange and lower-priced smartphones . ' Chinese manufacturer Lenovo was third after completing its acquisition of Motorola from Google . Its 5.6 percent market share placed it ahead of fellow Chinese group Huawei , with 5.0 percent , and South Korea 's LG at 4.6 percent . IDC said the overall global smartphone market grew 16.7 percent from a year earlier , with total shipments of 337 million units . 'Apple soared 40 percent annually ... Apple 's new iPhone 6 portfolio is flying off the shelves in China and the United States , its two biggest markets , ' said Neil Mawston at Strategy Analytics ©Peter Parks ( AFP/File ) Strategy Analytics , which released a similar report , said the figures show Apple is a 'star ' performer because it posted strong sales compared with the same period last year . 'Apple soared 40 percent annually ... Apple 's new iPhone 6 portfolio is flying off the shelves in China and the United States , its two biggest markets , ' said Neil Mawston at Strategy Analytics . Microsoft meanwhile struggled as it took over the Nokia brand of mobile phones , once the world 's biggest , according to the research firm . Figures for Microsoft smartphone sales were not included in the two surveys but the company said it sold 8.6 million Lumia handsets in the quarter , only about half the total of Huawei . Samsung notably launched its flagship Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones at the end of the quarter in April , while Apple iPhone sales dipped compared with the stronger holiday quarter ©Manan Vatsyayana ( AFP/File ) In the broader market , 'Microsoft 's eight percent global mobile phone market share is sitting near an all-time low , ' said Ken Hyers at Strategy Analytics . 'Microsoft continues to lose ground in feature phones , while its Lumia smartphone portfolio is in a holding pattern awaiting the launch of new Windows 10 software later this year . ' Juniper Research said meanwhile it expects Samsung 's performance to improve in the coming months because 'the S6 and the S6 Edge have had a better reception than the S5 . ' Juniper said BlackBerry lost further ground , delivering just 1.5 million handsets in the quarter . It came as Samsung Electronics Co. said its first quarter net profit plunged 39 percent as consumers switched to bigger iPhones , squeezing earnings from its mobile business to less than half what they were a year earlier . The company reported Wednesday that its January-March net profit was 4.63 trillion won ( $ 4.35 billion ) , compared with 7.49 trillion won a year earlier . That was lower than the forecast of 4.97 trillion won in a survey of analysts by financial data provider FactSet . The larger-than-expected drop was due to a big profit plunge in Samsung 's mobile business . The maker of Galaxy smartphones said its mobile division generated 2.74 trillion won in quarterly profit compared with 6.43 trillion won a year earlier . The Korean firm lost ground in the more profitable high-end market to Apple after the maker of the iPhone began offering models with bigger screens last fall . Before that , large screens were a feature that set Samsung phones apart . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Samsung sold 82.4m smartphones in latest quarter , for a 24.5 percent market share . Apple held an 18.2 percent market share after selling 61.2 million iPhones . Apple and Samsung virtually tied with 20 % of the market in the first three months of the year .