In a nutshell: Apple and Samsung were the best-selling smartphone manufacturers in the first quarter of 2024, together occupying every spot on Counterpoint’s latest global top 10 list. iPhones captured four of the top five positions, conceding only the fifth spot to Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra. At the top of the stack is the iPhone 15 Pro Max. According to the report, this is the first non-seasonal quarter in which a Pro Max variant reached the top of the hill.
Samsung’s Galaxy A15 5G finished in sixth place, just ahead of the Galaxy A54. Apple’s iPhone 15 Plus came in eighth place, and it was two Samsung phones – the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy A32 – that rounded out the top 10 in ninth and tenth place, respectively.
The list is noteworthy for a few reasons. It’s the first time that all of the top 10 best-selling phones in a quarter are 5G capable, and highlights a growing consumer shift towards premium devices (seven of the top 10 devices have a wholesale price of at least $600).
All four iPhone 15 models made the top 10, and three of them made it to the podium. The Pro lineup was responsible for half of Apple’s total sales in the quarter – up from just 24 percent in the year-ago quarter – seemingly validating Apple’s initiative to further differentiate them from base model iPhones through premium features like the latest processors and better camera systems.
Samsung’s latest Galaxy S24 lineup also had a strong showing during the quarter. Counterpoint attributed this to the company’s early refresh of the series as well as being among the first to ship devices with generative AI features and capabilities.
Appetites for premium smartphones are a bit of a double-edged sword, however. Some buyers are justifying their high-end purchases by hanging on to their devices longer and not upgrading as often as they might previously have. Coupled with the general slowdown of innovation we’ve seen in the smartphone space in recent years and further saturation, the current situation isn’t all that surprising.
Image credit: Ana Quirosa
