New Delhi, June 7 (IANS): The global smartphone sales to end users grew 26 per cent in the first quarter of 2021, led by Samsung which garnered 20.3 per cent market share, a Gartner report said on Monday.

Apple with 15.5 per cent market share moved back into the second position in the first quarter of 2021, after securing the top spot in the fourth quarter last year.

The launch of its first ever 5G iPhone led to continued demand in 2021.

"5G will continue to be the major growth driver for Apple in 2021. Device upgrades will fuel demand for Apple's flagship phone throughout the year," said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner.

Xiaomi with 12.9 per cent share came third, followed by Vivo at 10.2 per cent share and OPPO also at 10.2 per cent share.

The launch of mid-priced smartphones, such as phones priced under $150, boosted Samsung's unit sales globally. The early shipping of its flagship 5G smartphones added to the company's smartphone sales growth.

The improvement in consumer outlook, sustained learning and working from home, along with pent-up demand from 2020 boosted sales of smartphones in the first quarter, the report showed.

"However, one cannot ignore that the base for comparison is also lower in 2020, than it was in 2019. This explains the double-digit growth," said Gupta.

All of the top five global smartphone vendors registered strong (year-over-year) growth over 2020 indicating that the phone market is consolidating around the top five vendors.

Chinese smartphone vendors Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo witnessed growing demand for 5G smartphones and capitalised on the opportunities due to weakening sales of Huawei and LG globally in this quarter.

"The global chip shortage has not yet impacted the smartphone industry as the demand and supply equilibrium is met. However, this may change in the coming quarters and may result in an increase in the average selling price of smartphones globally," the report noted.