The latest Kantar data has two pieces of good news for Apple: the iPhone XR was the best-selling smartphone in the UK during the first quarter of the year, and iOS significantly grew its market share in the US …
Kantar reports that the XR was the highlight during the quarter.
Unsurprisingly, most iPhone XR buyers were upgrading from pre-iPhone X models.
But that, says Kantar, is the strength of the model: at a time when its flagship phones are into four figures, and people are holding onto their phones for longer, the iPhone XR has proven an effective way to persuade owners of older models to upgrade.
The iPhone XR also accounted for one in ten smartphone sales in the US.
Interestingly, the iPhone X topped smartphone sales in China, despite intense competition from local brands, and far outselling the XR.
However, Samsung retained its #1 position across Europe.
iOS gained significant market share in the US, but saw its share decline in Europe.
Samsung’s share of the big five European markets held firm in the latest quarter, aided by something of a renaissance in Italy and Spain. The launch of its flagship Galaxy S10 series also helped the manufacturer to consolidate its number one position in Europe, and it should expect sales to continue well into the next quarter.
In the first month after their release, sales of Samsung’s new S10 models have been split with the Galaxy S10 accounting for 49.4%, the S10+ for 42.8% and the S10e for 8%. The fact that the more expensive models in the range are so far dominating is positive for the manufacturer, but it should expect the S10e to quickly gain share as sales move away from early adopters towards more typical members of the public.
Apple has been cutting its prices in key overseas markets as it seeks to protect sales, as well as introducing relatively generous trade-in deals.
I’m not surprised that the best-selling smartphone in the UK turned out to be the iPhone XR: the general view I hear from less techy friends is that it gets them the new look, and Face ID, for a lot less than the iPhone XS.
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