Massive iPhone sales buck the trend in falling smartphone market

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iphone x
Suddenly Apple's record quarter seems even more impressive!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple had an even better start to 2018 than you might think. While it’s now well known that Apple had a record first three months of the year, that doesn’t take into account what the rest of the smartphone market was doing during that time.

In fact, according to a new report by analysts at Counterpoint, the overall U.S. smartphone market declined 11 percent versus the same time last year. Apple, on the other hand, shipped a record 16 million handsets in Q1 — representing a 16 percent increase year-on-year.

Counterpoint
How the U.S. smartphone market played out in Q1 2018.
Photo: Counterpoint

The report notes that the U.S. market sold 38.7 million smartphones during the first quarter of 2018. This is the first time sales have fallen below 40 million for a quarter in the last three years.

The dip affected Apple rival Samsung, which saw sales fall 4 percent year-on-year due to disappointing sales of its new Galaxy handsets.

Apple, however, countered expectations by increasing its market share and sales. Overall, Apple accounted for 20 percent of U.S. total sales during the first quarter. It now commands a whopping 80 percent of the $800+ price band.

In total, Apple occupied the top 5 slots for U.S. handsets in the quarter, and six out of the top 10. Top place is reportedly the 64GB iPhone 8, followed by the 64GB iPhone X. While Apple pointed out that the iPhone X was its top-selling handset for the quarter, this may still be possible since the 256GB iPhone X is in third place, potentially resulting in a higher cumulative total.

Did you buy a new handset over the past quarter? If so, what did you opt for? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Counterpoint

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