You may be eyeing an Apple iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy phone — but which one should you choose? Both Apple and Samsung have dominated the global smartphone market for years. A new report from market researcher Counterpoint shares the 10 best sellers for the Q1 2024.
Apple and Samsung each snagged five of the top 10 spots last quarter, according to Counterpoint Research’s Global Monthly Handset Model Sales Tracker, edging out phones from all other manufacturers.
The list also highlighted two other key trends in smartphone sales. This was the first quarter tracked by Counterpoint in which all of the top 10 phones were 5G models. Plus, premium prices were the norm: seven of the 10 smartphones sold for $600 or more.
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Okay, but which phones were the hottest sellers?
Based on Counterpoint’s analysis, Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max took the top spot last quarter, earning a 4.4% slice of the global market. The 15 Pro Max took first place despite a premium price tag that starts at $1,199 (and marked the first cost increase since Apple kicked off the Pro series in 2019). The latest Pro Max’s popularity is a sign that many people will pay top dollar to snag the extra features in the Pro lineup.
Looking at other iPhones on Counterpoint’s list, the iPhone 15 came in second with a 4.3% cut of the global smartphone market, followed by the iPhone 15 Pro with a 3.7% share. The still popular iPhone 14 grabbed fourth place, while the iPhone 15 Plus was further down the list, in eighth.
Overall, iPhone Pro models took home half of Apple’s total smartphone sales last quarter, a hefty boost from the 24% seen in Q1 2020, Counterpoint said. Apple’s Pro lineup offers several enhancements over the base model. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, for example, include the Dynamic Island interface, more advanced chipsets, smoother displays, a titanium chassis, and a telephoto lens.
Not to be ignored, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series captured two spots in Counterpoint’s top 10 list. The Galaxy S24 Ultra phone came in fifth place, while the base model took ninth. The Galaxy A15 5G in sixth place, the Galaxy A54 in seventh, and the Galaxy A34 in tenth rounded out the rankings.
Counterpoint pegged the strong popularity of the Galaxy S24 on Samsung’s early refresh of the model and its integration of generative AI features. The S24 was the first phone to hit the market with AI features that try to help owners more easily use their phones.
There’s another reason behind the popularity of pricier, high-end smartphones, according to Counterpoint. People are hanging onto their phones longer than in the past, in part because each year’s new model offers only minor upgrades and improvements. With that in mind, consumers are gravitating toward phones with more advanced features so they can hold onto them for longer.
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