We’re talking of course about Samsung and Apple, which are responsible for all of the world’s top ten best-selling smartphones in Q2 2023. While that’s definitely not shocking to hear, it remains an incredible achievement, as well as a pretty unusual occurrence.
Four is actually better than six
You can say that Apple’s quality has managed to eclipse Samsung’s quantity, which has obviously happened many times in the past. But it’s definitely not every quarter that you see this type of list topped by not one, not two and not three but a grand total of four different iPhone models, and it’s certainly equally unusual for those four to be followed by six members of the Android-based Galaxy family with absolutely no intrusion from a low-cost Redmi or anything like that.
In Q2 2022, for instance, Samsung managed to grab a spot on the podium behind the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Max with the entry-level Galaxy A13, while the Redmi Note 11 LTE concluded the top 10 and thus delayed the instatement of the current industry brand duopoly.
The iPhone 14 series is smoking hot, the S23 family is… not
One of the most remarkable things about this Q2 2023 hierarchy is that it looks identical to Counterpoint’s Q1 2023 list as far as the top four devices are concerned but vastly different starting with the number five spot.
The iPhone 14 Pro (left) and the iPhone 14 (right) are both WAY more successful than the Galaxy S23 series.
It’s crystal clear that Samsung has a big high-end smartphone popularity problem, especially outside of North America and Western Europe, which apparently accounted for an overwhelming share of S23 Ultra sales.
