Samsung's decline of late has allowed Apple – which posted a stellar quarter in which it sold 74.5 million iPhones – to catch up to the South Korean manufacturer. According to data from market research firm Strategy Analytics, both Samsung and Apple control a global market share of 19.6 percent and are now tied for the title of the world's largest smartphone vendor.

The numbers highlight the decline Samsung witnessed in 2014 when seen against previous years. The South Korean vendor sold 11.5 million smartphones less than what it did in Q4 2013. For the latest quarter, Samsung posted a sales decline of 11 percent from the same period in 2013, and a profit decline of 27 percent. Meanwhile, with a profit of $18 billion and overall revenue of $74.6 billion, Apple had the best-ever quarter by a public company. Apple's fourth quarter sales amounted to 38.6 percent of its yearly sales, highlighting the sheer increase in sales seen last quarter. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines