The New Ranking for the World’s Best-Selling Smartphones Has No Surprises

Counterpoint Research recently released a list of the top 10 best-selling phones worldwide for the first quarter of 2024. The report highlights an interesting trend: the growing demand for premium phones priced at $600 and up.

Apple has been the dominant player in premium phone sales for several years. In this category, the brand is the undisputed leader. Last year’s data, for instance, showed that 7 in 10 phones sold in the high-end category were iPhones.

The Counterpoint Research data isn’t surprising, as the list is almost identical to the one from last year, with a few differences.

In Q1 2024, the iPhone 15 Pro Max became the world’s best-selling phone, followed by the iPhone 15. When compared to Q1 2023, the results are essentially flipped. Last year, the iPhone 14 was the best-selling model globally in the first quarter, followed by the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which was the second best-selling model.

Jumping back to this year, Apple continued to dominate the top spots. The iPhone 15 Pro model ranked third, while the iPhone 14, which is over a year old, managed to secure fourth place. In other words, Apple has once again been behind the four best-selling phones in the ranking.

Counterpoint’s data also highlights an interesting trend regarding Apple's "Pro" line. The iPhone Pro line accounted for half of the total iPhone sales, representing a 24% increase from 2020.

Samsung comes in at fifth place with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the only real high-end Android candidate from a sales standpoint. It’s followed by the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G, an entry-level model that ranks sixth, followed by the Galaxy A54.

The rest of the list continues the back-and-forth between Apple and Samsung, with models such as the iPhone 15 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S24 taking eighth and ninth place, respectively.

Based on the report, it's clear there's only room for Apple and Samsung on the leaderboards. What are other brands to do?

Image | Xataka

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