Apple to beat Samsung in smartphone shipments for first time in 14 years

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Samsung’s Decline and Competitive Pressure

  • Many see Apple’s milestone as driven less by Apple’s surge and more by Samsung’s decade‑long slide.
  • Chinese OEMs (Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei earlier) are widely viewed as having “eaten Samsung’s lunch,” especially on hardware value and rapid product cycles.
  • Some argue Samsung stayed #1 globally by strength in Europe/Latin America and temporary gains from the Huawei ban; others say Huawei was mostly a China story.
  • Google’s Pixel line is also noted as slowly eroding Samsung’s Android share.

China, Industrial Policy, and Geopolitics (Disputed)

  • One view: Samsung’s collapse in China was mainly political—Xi-era “In China, For China” policies and rising nationalism informally sidelined foreign brands.
  • Counter‑view: the timing and data fit more with pre‑Xi domestic competitors ramping up, then naturally displacing Samsung; no explicit anti‑smartphone policy is cited.
  • THAAD‑related China–Korea tensions are mentioned as hurting Samsung, though others say Samsung’s China share had already cratered by then.
  • Similar “lawfare” and localization pressure against Chinese OEMs in India since 2021 are noted as mirroring China’s earlier tactics.

Apple’s Position and Profitability

  • Apple is credited with strong gifting/holiday demand and especially strong iPhone 17 uptake in the US and China.
  • Several cite research that Apple captures a minority of shipments but a large majority of industry profit.
  • Some attribute Apple’s success to ecosystem lock‑in, social pressure (iMessage bubbles, compatibility walls), and “walled garden” tactics; others insist Apple simply makes better, more reliable phones.

Samsung Software, UX, and Ads

  • Repeated complaints: laggy One UI, inconsistent design (e.g., misaligned status icons), slow updates, intrusive setup flows, forced accounts, and bloatware/ads.
  • TVs are criticized for bad UIs and surveillance/ads; some users disconnect them from the internet or front them with Apple TV/other boxes.
  • A minority report good recent firmware on high‑end devices (Fold series, Ultras) and acceptable performance there.

Hardware, Product Choices, and Foldables

  • Critiques include stagnant cameras, mediocre batteries, dropping microSD support, and chasing Apple rather than differentiating.
  • Foldables polarize: some call them “nonsense,” others nearly bought one after seeing them.
  • A long Fold‑user critique calls the Fold 7 a downgrade vs Fold 6 (aspect ratio, hinge behavior, loss of under‑display camera, S‑Pen support, battery vs thinness, bootloader lock).

Android vs iOS User Experience

  • Some ex‑Android users say iPhones “just work” and take far better photos over time.
  • Others list iOS irritations: limited alarms, fixed snooze, unreliable hotspot, aggressive background app killing, clumsy swipe typing, restricted file transfer, opaque gestures.
  • Custom ROMs and unlocked bootloaders are nostalgically missed, but acknowledged as niche now.

Shipments vs Sales

  • One commenter notes that “shipments” are factory output and can be dumped on carriers; another counters that Apple’s supply chain aligns shipments tightly with real demand. Impact remains unclear.