Apple’s market share in the United States reached a new all-time high since Q4 2020 on the back of strong sales from previous iPhone generations, according to a new analysis released by Counterpoint Research.
Overall smartphone shipments in the US grew by 8 percent year-over-year in Q4 2023, and the iPhone made the most of this growth. Apple’s Q4 2023 market share reportedly stood at 64 percent, a notable increase from the 57 percent share the company captured in Q4 2022. Apple further cemented its lead over Samsung, its nearest and fiercest competitor. The Korean giant’s market share stood at just 18 percent by the end of 2023, whereas Google’s Pixel captured a mere 2 percent of the US market.
The growth can be attributed to strong iPhone sales over the holidays and the introduction of the iPhone 15 lineup. Apple also offered deep discounts for older generations like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11, helping it capture a bigger segment of the affordable smartphone market ahead of its Android competitors. Looking ahead this year, the US smartphone market is expected to continue to grow at a single-digit rate as the economy continues to rebound.
The iPhone’s US performance is good news for Apple as the company reels with weaker than expected demand in China. The worsening Chinese demand has forced the company to take some actions like issuing a rare discount period in January ahead of the Lunar New Year. These promotions saw discounts worth as much as $70 on several products, including the latest iPhone 15 devices.
The sales performance of Apple’s latest smartphone appears to be 4.5% worse compared to its predecessor over the first 17 days that both lineups were first made available in the market, according to earlier analysis. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted that Apple could see shipments decline by as much as 15% in 2024 on the back of lackluster changes heading to the iPhone 16 later this year.
Apple will hold its earnings call for Q1 2024 later today at 2:00 p.m. PT with all eyes set on the iPhone’s performance. The fiscal results should give us a good idea of how the latest generation fared sales-wise during its first complete quarter of availability.
