Samsung Overtakes Apple as the Number One Smartphone Vendor In the U.S.
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Apple has been in a bit of slump recently. For the first time ever, iPhone sales fell in the second quarter of 2016, and Apple recently reported their first quarterly revenue decline in nearly 13 years. It’s not all bad – Apple is still the most valuable company in the world, after all – but to make matters worse, Samsung recently overtook Apple as the number one smartphone vendor in the U.S.
According to Hong Kong-based market research firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung accounted for 28.8% of smartphone sales in the U.S. market this past March, with Apple only taking in 23%. LG came in third place, taking in 17.1%, and ZTE a distant fourth with 6.6%. The rise in Samsung’s numbers are likely due to the success of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, which just recently released on March 11 of this year. In contrast, Apple’s smartphone sales suffered a bit of a decline in March, and the numbers don’t account for iPhone SE sales, as the device released on the final day of the month.
Although the iPhone SE has, so far, exceeded Apple’s sales expectations – a recent conference call saw Tim Cook proclaim that the iPhone SE is “supply constrained”, with demand that’s “much beyond what we thought” – most analysts believe that it’s unlikely that Apple will overtake Samsung in the near future due to the strong sales of the Galaxy S7 series. LG’s rather impressive 17.1%, however, doesn’t account for their latest device, the G5, which was also released on March 31st. It will be interesting to see if sales of the G5 are strong enough to seat Apple in third place in the coming months.
Most analysts agree that Samsung will likely hold the top spot until this coming September, when Apple is set to release the iPhone 7. While the internet is awash with rumors surrounding the device – from touch-sensitive home buttons, to dual-camera technology, to a smart connector for accessories, to the highly-rumored lack of a headphone jack – not much is actually known about it yet.
If Apple again manages to impress with some innovative new features, they may sit on the throne at the top of the U.S. smartphone empire again. The iPhone 7 won’t release without competition, however – Samsung is looking to release the latest in their popular Note series, the Note 6, this fall as well. Only time will tell what the future has in store for the rival tech giants.
Which team are you on? Team iPhone or Team Galaxy? Let us know in the comments below!
