Apple counters US smartphone decline as iPhone sales rise (report)

According to Counterpoint Research, Apple outperformed the US smartphone market in the first quarter, helped by continued demand for iPhone 17 amid weakening Android sales. Here are the details.

The iPhone saw 1.3% year-over-year growth in U.S. sales in the first quarter of 2026.

In a new report, Counterpoint Research says Apple saw a 1.3% year-over-year increase in U.S. iPhone sales during the first quarter of 2026, in stark contrast to a 5.7% decline in the overall market.

As Counterpoint notes, Apple’s performance was driven in part by stronger-than-expected demand for the base iPhone 17, as well as Samsung’s delayed launch of the Galaxy S26 series.

Historically, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S phones have arrived in stores in January or February every year since 2021. This year, however, the Galaxy S26 line didn’t hit shelves until mid-March, “leaving a bit of a gap in the premium space for an extra month in the first quarter,” according to Counterpoint.

This allowed the iPhone to represent 75% of smartphone sales among the three major American operators in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 72% a year earlier.

Interestingly, the report notes that “Apple’s share grew the most at Verizon, reaching 77% in the first quarter of 2026.”

Another factor that contributed to Apple’s gains was how each smartphone maker responded to pricing amid rising memory costs. Counterpoint noted that Apple kept the price of the iPhone 17e constant year over year while increasing entry-level storage to 256GB, even as its peers increased prices.

Extract from the report:

In the first quarter of 2026, Apple overtook Samsung in Counterpoint’s Smartphone Promotional Index average scores for devices priced $600 and above on postpaid channels in the United States. Apple increased its promotional power in this segment year-over-year in the first quarter, as did Motorola and Google, while Samsung declined. If Apple can avoid significant price increases and continue to outpace its peers in promotional dollars, it will be difficult for Android manufacturers to keep pace in the coming year.

To read the full report from Counterpoint Research, follow this link.