Samsung and Apple account for 66% of US sales

Samsung and Apple models represented 66% of all smartphones sold in the US.

In the September quarter, Samsung and Apple models represented 66% of all smartphones sold in the US. The fact that these two brands own 9 of the top 10 most-sold smartphones makes it clear why they are able to dominate sales so convincingly.

Apple was the top brand choice for gift-giving, representing 39% of all smartphones purchased as gifts during the quarter, followed by Samsung at 29%.

Twenty-eight percent of smartphones sold went to consumers who had never before owned a smartphone, down from 36% in the same period last year. Android had 27% of these first-time buyers and Apple iOS had 23%.

Forty-nine percent of consumers are planning to upgrade their smartphone in the next 12 months. Among them, 43% prefer Apple while 34% prefer Samsung when it comes to the brand that they are considering as their next purchase. Among current iOS owners, 90% said they prefer Apple for their next smartphone while 5% said Samsung. Quite strikingly, among current Android owners, 58% prefer Samsung and 10% prefer Apple. Other brands in the Android ecosystem that are preferred by upgraders are Motorola (9%), HTC (7%) and LG (6%). Finally, among current Samsung owners, 84% prefer Samsung and 10% prefer Apple. Considering how strongly consumers who are planning to upgrade over the next year feel about Apple and Samsung, two things are clear: consumers see Apple and Samsung in a league of their own and that the current market duopoly is far from over.