The US smartphone market is in many ways different from other major markets like India, China, and Western Europe, but during the year's first quarter, there were a couple of things that united mobile device buyers all around the world, according to a number of reports recently published by various research firms.
For one thing, Samsung ruled the Q1 2020 US smartphone sales chart, just as it did worldwide and across several Western European countries. Secondly (and perhaps more interestingly), the iPhone 11 was the quarter's most popular handset both stateside and worldwide.
While Xiaomi's Redmi Note 8/8T and Samsung's Galaxy A51 ranked second and third overall among the world's best-selling smartphone models between January and March, Apple occupied the entire US podium. The iPhone 11 Pro Max was the "regular" iPhone 11's closest "competitor" during these three coronavirus-affected months, while the 2018-released iPhone XR edged out Samsung's mid-range Galaxy A10e and Galaxy A20 to grab the bronze medal.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Galaxy A50 was not among Samsung's two most popular devices in the region in Q1 2020 or the nation's top six performers, as the iPhone 11 Pro ranked "just outside of the top five" to wrap up an impressive Apple performance in a time of rapidly evolving crisis.
Believe it or not, that still wasn't enough to boost Apple's US sales total compared to the first three months of 2019, although the Cupertino-based tech giant did report a much smaller decline than Samsung, LG, ZTE, Motorola, Alcatel, and especially Google. The market as a whole dipped 21 percent from the Q1 2019 score, and the only (relatively) big player that managed to defy this trend was OnePlus.
But the China-based company is still ranked eight overall in the US smartphone market, behind all the aforementioned brands (yes, even Google), so its microscopic 2 percent year-on-year growth probably didn't contribute much to offsetting the negative trend. This was obviously primarily caused by store closures and stay-at-home orders related to the COVID-19 health crisis, greatly impacting Samsung's Galaxy S20 family, which had a "particularly weak launch", and premium flagship sales in general.
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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