Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max was the best-selling model in the first quarter of 2024, according to a report by a market research firm. The company's flagship phones contributed more than half of Apple's sales value in the same quarter. Four of the top five smartphones were recent iPhone models, and the top 10 sellers were smartphones from Apple and Samsung. Seven out of 10 models were high-end smartphones, while for the first time every phone on the list was 5G capable.
Counterpoint Research's latest monthly tracking of global mobile phone model sales shows that Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max and the standard iPhone 15 model were in first and second place, respectively. In fact, all four models of Apple's latest smartphone lineup made the top 10 list: the iPhone 15 Pro was in third place followed by the iPhone 14, while the iPhone 15 Plus was in eighth place.
Like Apple, South Korean tech conglomerate Samsung also had five smartphones on Counterpoint's top 10 best-selling list. in the first quarter of 2024, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ranked fifth as the company's best-selling phone. It was followed by the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G and the Galaxy A54 in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
The standard model Galaxy S24 was ninth on Counterpoint's list of the top 10 phones in terms of sales in the first quarter of 2024. The phone was behind the iPhone 15 Plus, which was one place higher, according to the market research firm. The Galaxy A34 is the 10th phone on the market research firm's best-selling smartphone list.
Apple's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max offered better hardware compared to the company's standard models, and the differentiation led to more customers choosing the higher-end models, according to Counterpoint. These include a new action button, powerful A17 Pro chip, telephoto camera and a titanium body.
Similarly, Samsung's Galaxy S24 series of smartphones arrived with new generative AI (GenAI) features such as Circle to Search, Browsing Assist and real-time translation for calls. Counterpoint also notes that premium features like GenAI are expected to appear in more smartphones as customers wait longer periods before upgrading their phones, due to limited hardware differentiation.
