This has knocked Apple off the top slot. Huawei and BKK also grew and the figures even have a show from Dell.
Apple's share of the global chip business fell for the first time since 2008.
Gartner's tally includes TVs and PCs but appears to mostly focus on smartphone vendors. It shows how many chips end up under the bonnet of mobile units rather than PCs. Samsung has dominated the table in recent years but with the high iPhone sales Apple has managed to stay on top.
Gartner estimates that Samsung flogged $31.6 million worth chips in 2016 while Apple managed $29.9 million. Dell increased from $10.6 million to $13.3 million. Lenovo was fourth with $12.8 million and Huawei came in at $9.8 million.
Samsung, Apple and Huawei design their own semiconductors, for which they are the biggest or sole customers.