In January, smartphone sales in the United States were sluggish, but Apple's iPhone market share is still growing.
In January, Apple and other smartphone manufacturers in the United States saw a 10% decline in sales, nearly half of the peak in 2017. However, Apple's phones still accounted for 65% of total sales that month, an increase from 35% in 2017. The iPhone series from Apple continues to expand its market share. The only year-on-year decline occurred from 2018 to 2019. The director of research at Counterpoint stated that Apple is able to maintain stability in a market experiencing double-digit declines through postpaid promotions and the appeal of older models.
Zhitong App learned that in January, Apple and other smartphone manufacturers experienced a decline in sales in the United States as consumers postponed upgrading their smartphones. According to Counterpoint Research's weekly smartphone tracking data in the US, sales in January decreased by 10% compared to the same period last year, almost half of the peak in 2017. However, Apple's phones accounted for 65% of the total sales that month.
Maurice Klaehne, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, stated, "The downturn in low-end products, coupled with investors' anticipation of new product launches leading to delayed upgrades, resulted in an overall decline in sales. However, we may see a rebound in February, especially after the launch of the Galaxy S24 series."
The total smartphone sales in the US in January decreased by 45% from the historical high set in 2017. Despite the significant overall decline in smartphone sales, Apple's iPhone series continues to expand its market share. Counterpoint's data shows that Apple's phones accounted for 65% of the total sales that month.
In contrast, in 2017, Apple only held a 35% market share. Apple's share has been growing steadily every year. The only year-on-year decline occurred from 2018 to 2019.
Jeff Fieldhack, Director of Research at Counterpoint, said, "We continue to see significant postpaid promotions for Apple's 15 series, while cost-conscious prepaid consumers still show great interest in older models like the Apple 11 and Apple 12. This allows Apple to maintain stability in a market experiencing double-digit declines. This is beneficial for Apple's market share growth and also for the installation base of iOS."