The global market for premium smartphones contracted in the first quarter on Apple Inc.'s falling shipments of iPhones, but Samsung Electronics Inc.'s share in the sector increased, according to an industry report on Sunday.

According to the report by Counterpoint Technology Market Research, global sales of premium smartphones declined 8 percent on-year in the first quarter as Apple's shipments dropped 20 percent on-year.

This photo, provided by Samsung Electronics Co. on April 1, 2019, shows its first 5G smartphone, the Galaxy S10 5G. (Photo Not For Sale)

Samsung's global market share for premium smartphones stood at 25 percent during the quarter, marking its highest over the past year, the research showed.

Apple's global market share fell to 47 percent in the first quarter, compared with 51 percent last year.

"According to our analysis, the trend of users holding on to their iPhones for longer has affected Apple's shipments. The replacement cycle for iPhones has grown to over three years, on an average, from two years," Varun Mishra, a researcher at Counterpoint Technology Market Research, said in the report.

"On the other hand, substantial design changes in the Galaxy S10 series and the better value proposition it offers compared to high-end iPhones helped Samsung close the gap to Apple in the global premium segment," he said.

China's Huawei Technologies captured 16 percent of the global premium smartphone market in the first quarter, according to the report.

But a trade ban imposed by the U.S. will restrict Huawei's global growth, it said.

"Samsung and Apple are expected to gain from the gap created by Huawei in the future," the report said.(Yonhap)

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