For the umpteenth time in the last few years alone, Samsung managed to outshine Apple in terms of quarterly smartphone shipments between July and September 2023, ruling the global market as a whole despite seeing its share of the overall pie drop slightly from 22 percent in Q3 2022 to 20 percent right now.
That's at least according to Canalys, although the reports put together by other research firms for the same period look more or less identical. But as usual, the hierarchy changes radically when analyzing the individual top-selling handset models around the world rather than the total volumes of manufacturers like Apple and Samsung.
That's what Counterpoint Research likes to occasionally focus on, and unsurprisingly, Apple's most popular iPhones are once again ranked head and shoulders above their top Galaxy rivals, as well as all other Android smartphones out there.
An iPhone 14 trio for the ages
As impressive as it is to see Apple hold the number one spot here with the base iPhone 14 for the second consecutive quarter, it's clearly about 100 times more impressive that the tech giant behind the best-selling smartphone in the world is also ranked second and third with another two members of the same family, as well as fourth with the "ancient" iPhone 13.
The non-Pro 6.1-inch iPhone 13, of course, was the chart leader back in Q1 2022, Q2 2022, and Q3 2022 before dropping straight to fourth place at the end of last year and staying in that position ever since. That means the iPhone 14's reign could also end in the very near future, although it remains to be seen if the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max have what it takes to rule the world this holiday quarter.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max, mind you, managed to edge out the iPhone 14 for the Q4 2022 crown after ranking inside the top ten between July and September of last year. Somewhat surprisingly, the iPhone 15, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max are nowhere to be found in the Q3 2023 hierarchy, seemingly confirming reports out of China of weak early demand compared to their predecessors.
Naturally, the iPhone 15 roster could also be suffering from a bad case of... steady iPhone 14 series popularity, but either way, Apple definitely has some reason for concern despite copiously dominating yet another top ten best-selling smartphone model list.
How bad is the Galaxy S23 family doing?
In short, pretty bad. So bad that the S23 Ultra entered this list at number six in Q1 2023, which was a so-so launch result, before dropping to number eight in Q2 and prematurely exiting the top ten. The "vanilla" S23 and the S23+ never even made the chart, leaving Samsung with... plenty of top ten placers but none with high-end specifications and truly hefty profit margins.
That's obviously not good for the financial situation of the chaebol's mobile division, especially with the lower-end Galaxy A14 and A14 5G proving more popular than the Galaxy A54 in Q3 2023 and Xiaomi's ultra-low-cost Redmi 13C taking the Galaxy S23 Ultra's place among the ten most popular handsets out there.
The Redmi 13C, by the way, marks a return to form (of sorts) for its manufacturer, which used to constantly have one low to mid-end model ranked in the global top ten until recently. It remains to be seen now if Xiaomi can make that two in the near future or if Samsung can perhaps crack the top ten with something like the high-end (ish) Galaxy S23 FE before releasing the super-premium Galaxy S24 trio in Q1 2024.
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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