The newest such list, put together by Counterpoint Research, is certainly not very surprising, looking quite similar to the top ten lists of the same market analysis firm from both Q3 2023 and Q2 2024. But there are still a few things worth highlighting and discussing a little, including some shifting overarching industry dynamics, a couple of interesting changes in the hierarchy itself, and a clear consolidation of power for the market's top dog.
Let's give Apple what belongs to Apple
That's right, the global podium is once again made up entirely of iPhones, and you probably won't be shocked to see the "vanilla" iPhone 15 win the gold medal, followed by the ultra-high-end 15 Pro Max in the silver medal spot and the similarly advanced but significantly smaller iPhone 15 Pro in third place.
These exact same devices were ranked in the exact same order for the year's April-June quarter as well, following in the footsteps of an equally successful iPhone 14 trio this time last year. As such, you might be inclined to view Apple's latest box-office feat as nothing extraordinary, which is obviously a mistake.
There's no beating Apple as far as the most popular smartphone models are concerned.
It's definitely not easy to maintain your phones ahead of the competition like that quarter after quarter, especially with so many competitors attempting so many different things to abolish your supremacy and with Samsung so often prevailing in the overall vendor war.
Apple also deserves a lot of praise for bringing its Pro models on an equal level of sales as its non-Pro iPhones, which is naturally good for the company's profits. On the not so bright side of things, the "base" iPhone 15's market-leading sales share in Q3 2024 was lower than its predecessor's towering Q3 2023 score, and the iPhone 14 was considerably less successful than the iPhone 13 in the same timeframes.
And now let's talk Samsung and Xiaomi
The first thing hardcore Samsung fans are likely to notice about Counterpoint's latest top ten best-selling smartphone chart is that it doesn't include the Galaxy S24 Ultra. That's certainly a little disheartening after seeing the company's crown jewel ranked in ninth place in Q2 2024, but it's not exactly a shocker given that the S23 Ultra couldn't crack this list this time last year either.
What's actually a bit of a surprise is that the Galaxy S24is featured on the Q3 2024 top ten list, albeit in last place. That's because the "vanilla" S23 was also not ranked among the best-selling smartphones of Q3 2023, which means that Samsung is making some clear and important progress in the high-end market segment... at the expense of some of its lower-end and lower-cost handsets.
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The lower-cost S24 is surprisingly or not more successful than the higher-end S24 Ultra. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
The Galaxy A55, for instance, seems unable to carry its predecessor's legacy, which could be caused (among others) by its lack of availability in key regions like the US and the Galaxy A35's improvements. The 5G-enabled A35, mind you, is a lot more popular than the Galaxy A34 5G was last year, while the Galaxy A15, Galaxy A15 5G, and Galaxy A05 seem to be selling more or less as well today as the Galaxy A14, A14 5G, and A04e were in 2023.
All in all, Samsung can definitely be proud about the individual Q3 2024 sales results of its five most successful smartphones, and the same can probably be said about Xiaomi. Granted, the ultra-affordable Redmi 13C was not able to improve on the Redmi 12C's ninth-place showing from Q3 2023, but at least the China-based tech giant is still on this list alongside Apple and Samsung, unlike so many other major brands from the same country and many others.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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