As the hot new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are surprisingly outselling the equally new and higher-end iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max in the very early stages of the family's commercial availability, this seems like a perfect time to remember just how far ahead of the competition Apple is staying quarter after quarter in terms of individual smartphone model sales.
That's right, we've got another one of those global smartphone top ten lists to analyze and comment on today, and as usual, the first couple of positions are occupied by members of the latest iPhone series. But the newest Omdia report, focused on the first six months of 2024, is not all roses and sunshine for Apple, providing Samsung a number of key causes for celebration as well.
And the bronze medal goes to...
Yes, I'm going to skip over the H1 2024 report's gold and silver medalists for a second and talk about the Samsung Galaxy A15 instead. This is a very humble, very affordable 4G LTE-only Android handset that somehow managed to beat the far more glamorous iPhone 15 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for the third spot among the world's best-selling smartphones, with an impressive 17.3 million units.
There are many similarities, but also quite a few key differences between these three top ten lists.
That's way up from the 12.4 million Galaxy A14 units shipped worldwide between January and June of last year, and the number doesn't even include the global sales of the 5G-enabled Galaxy A15 variant. That slightly higher-end and slightly costlier model is also ranked in the top ten, with 12.2 million copies of its own, which brings the combined total of the two A15 versions to nearly 30 million units.
Believe it or not, that's higher than the iPhone 15 Pro Max's industry-leading 21.8 million tally for H1 2024, although I'll admit that's not an entirely fair comparison. It is however certainly fair to point out that the 15 Pro Max is proving less successful than the iPhone 14 Pro Max this time last year, and the same goes for the iPhone 15 Pro in contrast with the 14 Pro.
The "vanilla" iPhone 15, meanwhile, has managed to (narrowly) outsell its own predecessor, taking home a silver medal previously reserved to a Pro-branded iPhone, which is unlikely to make Apple very happy. That's obviously because the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are more profitable than the iPhone 15, so the Cupertino-based tech giant would probably much rather see a more premium device ranked in the top three than a "base" model.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is also a big hit
Not as big as the entry-level Galaxy A15 duo, Samsung's latest (non-foldable) super-flagship is convincingly exceeding the popularity of last year's Galaxy S23 Ultra. The S24 Ultra's sales jump over its predecessor is not enough to leave the iPhone 15, 15 Pro, or 15 Pro Max behind, but it is enough to edge out both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14.
That may not sound like a great achievement, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the only high-end Android handset on this top ten list, which is definitely a feat to remember. Omdia analysts are highlighting this year's introduction of Galaxy AI technology as the key reason for the S24 Ultra's surge from the S23 Ultra's 9.6 million unit sales in H1 2023 to no less than 12.6 million units in the same timeframe of 2024.
The S24 Ultra is selling well, but nowhere near as well as the Galaxy A15. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Of course, the S24 and S24 Plus come with the exact same AI capabilities as their big brother, so one does have to wonder why they're not connecting with mainstream global audiences in the same way as the S24 Ultra. Low-end Android phones, meanwhile, are as popular as ever, led by the aforementioned Galaxy A15 and A15 5G, but with Xiaomi's Redmi 13C and Samsung Galaxy A05 not far behind.
These two ultra-affordable models actually didn't have a clear equivalent on the H1 2023 best-selling list, suggesting more and more consumers are opting for cheaper and humbler Android devices due to various financial challenges. In a way, the same can be said about a large group of Apple fans as well if you look at the iPhone 13's surprisingly steady numbers between the first six months of 2023 and 2024.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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