Who beyond Apple is driving the US smartphone boom?
Motorola Razr (2024) | Image credit – PhoneArena
Apple's market share is taking a hit, yet sales for the iPhone 15 Pro are on the rise
In July, the US smartphone market saw a 5% year-over-year sales growth, largely thanks to Samsung and Motorola, as reported by Counterpoint Research, a global firm focusing on the tech, media, and telecom sectors. While Apple's overall sales dipped, largely due to slower summertime upgrades, the iPhone 15 Pro emerged as a standout performer, showing strong sales amid the decline.
Although overall sell-through was down, unit sales of the high-value, high-margin iPhone 15 Pro were up in double digits. The changing mix favoring Pro models has been an ongoing theme and something we are focusing on as we head into September announcements and earnings season.
– Jeff Fieldhack, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, August 2024
In July, the US smartphone market saw a 5% YoY sales increase, largely fueled by strong performances from Samsung and Motorola.
A major contributor to the market's growth was Samsung, which experienced robust sales of its budget-friendly Galaxy A15 5G, making up nearly a third of its total sales. Additionally, the early release of its Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 foldable phones helped boost its performance significantly.
Meanwhile, Motorola is reaping the rewards of a streamlined prepaid market as major carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T cut back on the number of brands they offer. Additionally, appealing device subsidies and promotions, such as the $1 down payment offer for the Razr (2024), have bolstered Motorola's presence in retailers like Cricket.
Overall, promotions have slowed down this summer, except for the recent launch of the Pixel 9, which debuted on August 13.
The summer months are the weakest but good to see growth on last year. With GenAI smartphones sparking a lot of interest this year, the focus will come back around to premium as we move into the busy end of the year.
– Jeff Fieldhack, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, August 2024
Apple is gearing up to unveil its next iPhone 16 series at the “It’s Glowtime” event on September 9. With the new iPhone on the horizon and the anticipation of Apple Intelligence – the tech giant's new suite of AI-driven features – likely to boost sales, I think that the upcoming stats will show Apple making a strong comeback in the US market.
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