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Apple continues to dominate best-selling smartphones rankings despite recent S9 launch

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Continuing market research finds that iPhones continue to pack a list of the top-10 smartphones sold globally, even eight months after the release of the iPhone X.

The latest Counterpoint Market Pulse research, based on data from April and released this week, finds that Samsung's Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus have taken the top two spots in global smartphone market share, with 2.6 percent each. However, Apple takes five of the top ten spots on the list, with the three 2017 models — the iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 — taking the third through fifth spots, with 2.3, 2.3 and 2.2 percent, respectively.

Counterpoint Research smartphone market share 2018

In addition, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 took the seventh and ninth spots, with 1.4 percent each. Xiaomi devices took the sixth and eighth spots, with the Samsung Galaxy S8 coming in 10th.

Top of the list

There are a few reasons why the S9 models are at the top. They're much newer, having been released in March and April in most countries, while the latest iPhone line has been available since late last year. Counterpoint mentions that seasonality plays a big part in this quarter's sales figures.

Also, carriers have been offering buy-one-get-one deals on the S9 models nearly since launch, something they weren't doing with the iPhone X until recently.

Also, according to Counterpoint, "Samsung price cuts on older Galaxy S8 series along with aggressive marketing and cashback offers, easy EMI's amongst other factors drove sales for premium flagships." Counterpoint also cited the S9's strong performance in North America and the Asia-Pacific region.

Apple's Tim Cook claimed, as of Apple's earnings announcement on May 1, that the iPhone X had been the top-selling smartphone in the world every week since its release.



31 Comments

genovelle 16 Years · 1481 comments

I’m curious were the last two quarters of this report published here when the iPhone was new?  That would make for an interesting comparison. 

gregg thurman 16 Years · 456 comments

This can’t be, the iPhone X is way too expensive and doesn’t offer anything new. No way iPhone X could be the/a top seller 8 months in a row.  Everybody knows that Android is the best selling OS and Samsung makes the best smartphones, for less money. 

kkqd1337 12 Years · 471 comments

This can’t be, the iPhone X is way too expensive and doesn’t offer anything new. No way iPhone X could be the/a top seller 8 months in a row.  Everybody knows that Android is the best selling OS and Samsung makes the best smartphones, for less money. 

Correct.

But for me, Android and Samsung are such a no go area for me and probably anyone that can afford an iPhone.

Until the bloatware, privacy, and fragmentation/update problems are sorted out I will never go Android, which is a shame because I agree the hardware is great.

nunzy 6 Years · 662 comments

 Apple doesn't care about market share. All that Apple cares about is sales of its own products and the profit generated by those sales. Android can go sell billions and billions, but as long as apple is making more money than them, that's all that Apple cares about.

seanismorris 8 Years · 1624 comments

Google pissed in my Cheerios when I bought a Android Motorola, then Google sold the company.

Why is it so hard to get guarantied OS updates for the life of an Android phone?

@#$& ‘em   

Sorry Samsung.  I’m sure it’s a great phone, but...