Counterpoint Research is predicting that Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup will help Samsung become the number one phone maker in the world this year, CNBC and Bloomberg report. The report estimates that Apple will ship 243 million phones this year, while Samsung will ship 235 million phones, giving Apple a 19.4 percent share of the global smartphone market, less than 1 percent ahead of Samsung.
Counterpoint says the newly introduced iPhone 17 series achieved 12 percent more sales in its first four weeks than the iPhone 16 lineup, with the increase in sales due to a “lesser than expected” impact from the tariffs.
Different analysts have reported different statistics about who is leading in phone shipments over the years, but according to Counterpoint’s assessment, this would be the first time Apple has overtaken Samsung in phone shipments in 14 years. Based on Counterpoint’s report, it seems that reports of slow response to the iPhone Air and ongoing questions about Apple’s progress with AI technology haven’t completely held back the iPhone 17 line-up. Next year, Apple is expected to release a cheaper “17e” model in the spring and eventually its first foldable iPhone.
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