In the first quarter of 2024, the iPhone maintained its stronghold in the U.S. smartphone market, accounting for 52% of phone shipments. Apple’s lead over Samsung slightly decreased from a 25 percentage point advantage to 21 percentage points compared to Q1 of 2023. Samsung, on the other hand, saw its share of the market increase from 27% to 31% during the same period.
Counterpoint Research reported that this was Samsung’s best U.S. first-quarter market share since Q1 of 2020. The demand for Galaxy S24 handsets among users with older Galaxy S models contributed to Samsung’s success. Additionally, the earlier release date of January 17th (compared to February 1st for the Galaxy S23 line) played a significant role in Samsung’s strong performance.
Following Apple and Samsung in the rankings is Motorola, holding a 9% share of U.S. smartphone shipments in Q1 of 2024. This marks a slight increase from the 8% share it had in Q1 of 2023. Notably, there is a substantial drop-off from Samsung’s market share to Motorola’s third-place position.
Google also experienced a decline in its U.S. smartphone shipments during Q1 of 2024, with Pixel devices dropping from a 2% share in Q1 of 2023. Counterpoint Research noted that Google faced tough competition from Samsung’s S24 launch and experienced reduced volumes towards the end of the quarter as it prepared for the release of the Pixel 8a.
TCL also saw a decline in U.S. smartphone shipments year-over-year, with no specific figures provided by Counterpoint Research for Q1 of either year. The overall decline in Android phone shipments in the U.S. during Q1 was attributed to carriers transitioning from LTE to 5G models and high costs associated with 5G components leading to lower profit margins for manufacturers producing low-end phones.
Overall, despite some shifts and declines in market shares among top smartphone manufacturers, Apple and Samsung continue to dominate the U.S. market while other players like Motorola, Google, and TCL navigate challenges in an evolving telecommunications landscape.
