According to a new analytical report this morning, Apple’s iPhone 15 was the best-selling smartphone globally in Q3 2024, followed closely by the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro. Apple had 4 out of the top 10 smartphones in Q3-24 while Samsung had five and China’s Xiaomi had one as presented on the chart below.

The growing consumer preference for high-end smartphones is gradually narrowing the market share gap between the iPhone’s base and Pro variants. Notably, for the first time in a third quarter, half of the total iPhone sales were contributed by the Pro variants in Q3. This shift is helping Apple drive higher-value device sales.

Besides, consumers are opting for the latest iPhones, especially in emerging markets, which further contributes to Apple’s higher-value sales. This trend is supported by attractive financing schemes and trade-in offers, making the latest iPhones more accessible to a broader range of income brackets.

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Apple and Samsung are further strengthening their premium positioning with Apple Intelligence and Galaxy AI, which will help them continue to dominate these rankings. Both brands are leveraging GenAI as a differentiating factor in the premium segment.

Samsung’s Galaxy A series captured four spots in the top-10 list owing to its wider presence across geographies and focus on the larger customer segments in the entry and mid-price bands. Samsung has effectively positioned these devices with competitive pricing and longer software support. However, in the top-10 list, the high-end Galaxy A series phones have been squeezed by the Galaxy S series and A series mid-segment phones.