In a new analytical report published last week it showed Apple capturing over half of the premium market in Q3 2019. Apple grew 1% Year over Year (YoY) increasing its market share from 48% a year back to 52% during the quarter. This was driven by both the initial, strong demand for the iPhone 11, as well as the continued success of the iPhone XR. iPhone XR was the top-selling model globally in the premium segment.

While Apple grew YoY, the global premium market overall declined 7% YoY. The contribution of 5G within the price segment was 5% during the quarter.  This is a segment that Apple didn't participate in. 

Samsung led the 5G segment in Q3 with 74% of the market share followed by LG (11%) and Vivo (5%).   This was driven by the early adoption of 5G in South Korea, followed by North America and China. The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G was the top-selling model, capturing over one-third of the total sales of all 5G devices.

The chart below shows the premium market breakdown. The two biggest segment shifts for the quarter was in tiers two and three. The second tier grew a whopping 59% YoY while the third tier grew 39% YoY.

Volume wise, tier three saw the biggest consumer shift going from 31% of the market in Q3 2018 to 43% in Q3 2019.

According to Counterpoint, "overall, within the price bands, driven by the iPhone XR, the US$600-799 wholesale price band continues as the most volume-centric, capturing 43% of the entire premium segment."

The biggest drop in the quarter was in the fourth tier going from 42% in Q3 2018 to 24% in Q3 2019.