America's top seller is... not the iPhone 17 Pro Max
The "bigger is better" maxim might feel tailor-made for US consumers, but even though the 6.9-inch iPhone 17 Pro Max got off to an incredibly strong start at the American box-office last fall, the 6.3-inch non-Pro iPhone 17 somehow managed to regionally prevail at the end of this year's second quarter.
This is a slim but very impressive victory for the iPhone 17. | Image by Counterpoint Research
Yes, the iPhone 17 Pro Max was by far the nation's number one bestseller in September 2025, while the "vanilla" iPhone 17 was barely ranked third, but now the iPhone 17 Pro occupies the last place on the podium and Apple's largest and most advanced mobile device yet is edged out by a significantly more affordable model... whose sequel is unlikely to come out this year.
Why do you think the iPhone 17 is so popular?
That's going to make it very interesting to see where the iPhone 17 will be ranked once the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are released in just a few weeks, and then of course if the non-Pro iPhone 18 will be able to take over the crown from its predecessor this time next year following an expected spring 2027 launch.
The iPhone 17 scores a whopping five (of eight) wins
In case you were wondering how the base iPhone 17 managed to beat its Pro Max sibling in the Q2 2026 global war by a considerably larger margin than the iPhone 16 held over its own big brother this time last year, Counterpoint's individual national hierarchies provide at least part of the explanation.
Apple somehow sold more iPhone 17 units than 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and 17e copies combined in Great Britain in Q2 2026. | Image by Counterpoint Research
In addition to the US, the iPhone 17 was the Q2 top seller in Germany, the UK, France, and Japan as well while also narrowly losing the battles for both Chinese and Indian supremacy.
Back in June 2025, the iPhone 16 did take home the US, UK, and Japanese titles while only sitting in third place in France, Germany, and India and in fourth in China. Clearly, the iPhone 17 is a much bigger hit than its predecessor in a lot of crucial markets, which makes Apple's decision to wait until 2027 for an iPhone 18 release feel even weirder (at least to me).
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Go on, try. No, the iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and Galaxy S26 aren't among the nation's top five hits at the end of Q2 2026. And, believe it or not, the same goes for globally successful low to mid-enders like the Galaxy A17 4G, Galaxy A17 5G, and Galaxy A37 5G.
This is... a pretty odd list, but it could have been even odder. | Image by Counterpoint Research
Instead of all those, the little-known (outside Asia, at least) Oppo A6X 5G sits in the gold medal position, closely followed by the iPhone 17 and the iPhone... 16. The Samsung Galaxy M17 5G and Vivo Y31 5G complete a very eccentric top five, although the country's bestseller list was somehow even weirder in June 2025, with the Vivo Y19 5G and Vivo Y29 5G in the number one and two spots.
Samsung's only title is a very predictable one
Everyone knows Galaxy devices are big in Samsung's homeland, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Galaxy S26 Ultra is by far South Korea's number one seller, followed by the base Galaxy S26.
Samsung is unbeatable... in South Korea and South Korea only. | Image by Counterpoint Research
Counterpoint Research actually has no June 2025 data for this particular market, but in September 2025, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7 were apparently Korea's biggest hits, so it must be a little disappointing for Samsung that its foldables haven't been able to keep the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro at bay even in this one super-Galaxy-friendly country.
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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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