Apple became September's biggest smartphone brand after iPhone 16 debut

Apple was the biggest smartphone brand globally in September, according to the latest report by Counterpoint Research. The market research firm highlighted in its latest Smartphone 360 Tracker findings that the iPhone 16 launch helped Apple grab the top spot even though the sales of the new iPhone 16 series remained flat while the company’s global sales grew by just 1 per cent in the third quarter of 2024. Despite that, Apple stood second on the list as Samsung grabbed the pole position in the global smartphone sell-through market share for Q3.

“Even as the iPhone 16 series saw flat sales initially, we expect the demand for iPhone 16 series to remain stable due to the large installed base of iPhone users,” said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research, adding that all smartphone OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) “have benefitted from the recovering market in 2024.” The global sell-through volumes grew 2 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter that ended in September, marking the first YoY growth in a third quarter since 2018’s Q3. The recovery was most prominent in Western Europe, Latin America, and Japan, all showing growth in double digit percentage.

According to the report, Samsung led the sell-through volumes with a 19 per cent share, piggybacking on sustained Galaxy A-series demand and overwhelming performance of the Galaxy S24 series. However, the company’s foldable smartphones did not meet expectations in terms of sales, showing a “lukewarm reception.” The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are incremental upgrades over their last generations, prompting fewer users to switch.

Xiaomi – which briefly overtook Apple to grab the second spot – came third on the list, driven by continued YoY growth of 8 per cent in sell-through volumes. Oppo secured the fourth position, but lost 3 per cent despite recording its highest-ever sales since Q3 2023. On the other hand, Vivo outperformed all its rivals on the chart with the fastest YoY growth of 10 per cent in the third quarter. “Vivo has now been the #1 OEM in the world’s two biggest smartphone markets, China and India.”

Brands such as Motorola, Huawei, and Google showed, which make up the ‘Others’ chunk in the chart also showed rapid growth. However, Motorola and Google, particularly recorded their “highest-ever smartphone volumes in a quarter in Q3.” Their individual sell-through volume shares are unspecified, however. Pathank also noted that the smartphone sales volumes are not growing like before and slowing due to lengthening holding periods and maturing consumer base. However, consumers are now spending more than ever on new smartphones. “One of four consumers buying a smartphone in 2024 will spend more than $600, this is the segment where new technologies like GenAI will make a difference.”