Apple shipped record iPhones in the last quarter while global smartphone market declined According to market research firms Counterpoint and IDC, Apple had the best quarter and was the top smartphone vendor globally in terms of shipments. Ketan Pratap | January 28, 2021 | Updated 10:39 IST iPhone 12 in red colour. Highlights According to market research firms, Apple delivered a phenomenal performance in Q4 2020. In the global smartphone market, Samsung was at the second spot in terms of units shipped in the quarter. Other vendors in the top five were Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. Apple has announced its financial results for Q1 2021, and as expected, the company saw double-digit growth across categories. Counterpoint is out with its latest research that claims Apple saw a 96 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth and an 8 per cent rise in year-on-year basis. In the last quarter, Apple registered growth while Counterpoint's Market Monitor service adds that the global smartphone market declined 1 per cent year-over-year in Q4 2020. International Data Corporation (IDC) is also out with its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker and adds that the full 2020 year declined in terms of units shipped by 5.9 per cent compared to 2019.