The global smartphone industry has been witnessing a decline since some time now and like most other markets, the U.S. isn’t immune to this slow down. Since November 2017, the country hasn’t witnessed a year-on-year volume gain and as per a new Counterpoint Research special, the downward trend continued into the new year. According to the firm, smartphone sales tumbled 2.7 percent year-on-year in January to 13.7 million units. While the overall situation looks bleak, the silver lining for Apple is that it’s cheapest 2018 model, the iPhone XR, was the best selling phone in the U.S. for January of this year.
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Initial reports had speculated that the iPhone XR is struggling, particularly overseas, but in the Cupertino giant’s home market of the U.S., the phone was ahead of the iPhone XS Max, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, iPhone XS, and the Galaxy S9. Overall, Apple’s market share rose 1 percent in the U.S. and it retained the number one spot, according to the new research.
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The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was the best selling Android handset in the U.S. but the report says that the Korean company lost some market share because some customers were waiting on the Galaxy S10 series. Samsung was the second strongest brand in the U.S. in January per the report.
LG came in third, thanks to sales of the V40 as well as the affordable LG Stylo 4 and it was followed by Motorola, courtesy of the strong sales of the cheaper E5 models. The battered ZTE, which was temporarily banned from the U.S., was named the fifth top-selling brand in the U.S. As far as premium devices that cost upwards of $600, Apple, Samsung, and Google took the first three spots.
With the first quarter nearing its end, we can expect to see more reports in the coming days, providing a snapshot of the global market. However, given the past analyst reports, the overall situation is unlikely to improve. However, with the newer models on sale, including the launch of the P30 and P30 Pro, the competition will continue to grow, so let us see what leaps and bounds companies like Apple and Samsung make in the near future.
Source: PRnewswire
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