Samsung and Apple are fierce rivals, responsible for some of the world’s most anticipated smartphones. They’ve stood toe-to-toe at the top of the global smartphone manufacturer foodchain numerous times over the past decade. But they are very different companies, with very different approaches.
Join us now as we take a birdseye view of both manufacturers to see how they compare. This is Samsung vs Apple, in numbers.
Founded
Samsung: March 1 in 1938, in Daegu (previously known as Taegu), South Korea
Apple: April 1, 1976, Cupertino, California, United States
Founders
Samsung: Lee Byung-chul
Apple: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne
Number of employees
Samsung: 320,671 employees (as of December, 2017)
Apple: 132,000 full-time employees (as of the end of its 2018 fiscal year)
CEO
Samsung: Koh Dong-Jin (also known as DJ Koh), Kim Hyun-Suk, Kim Ki-nam
Apple: Tim Cook
CEO salary
Samsung: 24.38 billion Korean won (~$21.29 million), to Kwon Oh-hyun (former CEO) in 2017.
Apple: $15,682,219 ($3 million salary and $12 million in bonuses) to Tim Cook in 2018.
Market share
| Q1, 2017 | Q2, 2017 | Q3, 2017 | Q4, 2017 | Q1, 2018 | Q2, 2018 | Q3, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung | 23.2% | 22.9% | 22.1% | 18.9% | 23.5% | 21.0% | 20.3% | ||
| Apple | 14.7% | 11.8% | 12.4% | 19.6% | 15.7% | 12.1% | 13.2% |
Best selling phone:
Samsung: E1100, 2009: 150 million units (feature phone). Galaxy S4, 2013: 80 million units (smartphone).
Apple: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, 2014: 220 million units.
Biggest acquisition
Samsung: Harman International Industries, 2017: roughly $8 billion
Apple: Beats Electronics, 2014: roughly $3 billion
Recent flagship phone launch prices
Samsung:
Galaxy S10: $899
Galaxy S10 Plus: $999
Galaxy Note 9: $999
Galaxy S9: $719
Galaxy S9 Plus: $839
Apple:
iPhone XS: $999
iPhone XS Max: $1099
iPhone XR: $749
iPhone X: $999
iPhone 8: $599
iPhone 8 Plus: $699
Recent earnings
| 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung revenue | ~$212.79 billion (243.77 trillion Korean won) |
~$209.12 billion (239.58 trillion Korean won) |
~$176.21 billion (201.87 trillion Korean won ) |
| Apple revenue | $265.60 billion (fiscal year) | $229.23 billion (fiscal year) | $215.64 billion (fiscal year) |
| Samsung operating profit | ~$51.39 billion (58.89 trillion Korean won) |
~$46.82 billion (53.65 trillion Korean won) |
~$25.52 billion (29.24 trillion Korean won) |
| Apple operating profit | $70.90 billion (fiscal year) | $61.34 billion (fiscal year) | $60.02 billion (fiscal year) |
Thanks for joining us on this Samsung vs Apple journey. Which company do you think has done the most for the smartphone world? Let us know in the comments.