{"id":426873,"date":"2026-05-14T06:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/426873\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T06:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:47:14","slug":"apple-dominates-us-phone-sales-google-pixel-holds-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/426873\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple dominates US phone sales, Google Pixel holds on"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A new report shows that, perhaps even more so than usual, Apple\u2019s iPhone is dominating phone sales in the US market, but Google Pixel is apparently holding onto its sliver.<\/p>\n

Counterpoint Research says<\/a> that, in Q1 2026, iPhone sales went up by 1.3% year-over-year (YoY) despite the market as a whole dropping by 5.7%. As a result, Apple\u2019s dominance in the US smartphone market went up by 4%, with Android\u2019s share of sales dropping by over 14%. The report partially attributes this to Samsung\u2019s later Galaxy S26 series launch, but mostly on the success of the iPhone 17 series.<\/p>\n

At the \u201cBig 3\u201d US cellular carriers \u2013 Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile \u2013 iPhones apparently made up 75% of phone sales in Q1 2026, up from 72% the same time last year. <\/p>\n

\"\"Counterpoint<\/a><\/p>\n

On the note of Samsung\u2019s later launch, the report cites a Counterpoint analyst who notes that the US premium smartphone market is \u201chighly consolidated,\u201d with Google Pixel being one of the major brands. <\/p>\n

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The premium smartphone space in the US is highly consolidated compared to some other markets, with Apple, Google, Samsung and, to some extent, Motorola comprising the vast majority of sales here. When one brand delays a flagship launch, it opens a window of opportunity to fill that vacuum. Apple did just that.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s later noted that, where Samsung\u2019s promotional\/marketing efforts declined in Q1, Apple increased its spend, as did both Motorola and Google Pixel.<\/p>\n

No direct numbers are shared in this report around how Google Pixel may or may not have slipped, but the mention of Pixel being one of the brands succeeding in the premium space suggests it is at least holding on to the niche it has carved out in the US market. Another recent report<\/a> mentioned that Google\u2019s chipset shipments were up while those from Qualcomm and MediaTek were down, again suggesting that Pixel is at least holding its ground or growing.<\/p>\n

Pixel was expected to weather a turbulent smartphone market better than others.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in the prepaid space, Motorola managed quite a bit of YoY growth in Q1, making up 32% of prepaid\/\u201dnational retail\u201d smartphone sales. That\u2019s just a hair behind Samsung, which hit 33%. The report attributes this to other brands \u201chaving a tough time keeping up with the marketing power of Motorola and Samsung,\u201d while others have put off new models or exited the market altogether due to the squeeze of shortages and other factors.<\/p>\n

\"\"Counterpoint<\/a><\/p>\n

More on Google Pixel:<\/p>\n

Follow Ben:\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>,\u00a0Threads<\/a>, Bluesky<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

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