The Galaxy S Ultra can't hold a candle to two-year-old base iPhones. Samsung has to change

The new data for 2025 is in and out of the top 10 best-selling phones, Apple has seven models. Samsung has only three – and not a single one of those is in the top three positions.

Sure, the Galaxy S25 family wasn't that much of a revolutionary upgrade over the Galaxy S24. For this and other reasons, we reported that Apple is overtaking Samsung as early as November 2025.

But the problem is that the same mini-drama – seven iPhones in the top 10 best-selling rankings, only three Galaxies – played out in 2024, too.

It's the Counterpoint Research data

The new Counterpoint Research report breaks things down regionally. Save for Latin America and the Middle East + Africa regions (where Samsung's entry-level Galaxies are the most popular), the iPhone is dominating everywhere else. This means a Cupertino phone comes out on top (for 2025) in:

• North America
• Europe
• China
• Asia-Pacific (excluding China)

Penguins in Antarctica will probably also rock an iPhone soon, the way things are going.

But I don't want to explore why some regions prefer the iPhone over the Galaxy. Instead, I want to monitor the situation globally.

And here's the thing:



Notice something? Yeah, in the lower part of the rankings. It turns out that the iPhone 15 – a device that hit the shelves in 2023 – was more popular in 2025 than Samsung's best flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra from 2025. That's the baseline, the "vanilla" iPhone 15, not the iPhone 15 Pro we're talking about.

To make things even funnier, both the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max turn out to be selling better than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. And these were released in September of 2025. The Galaxy S25 Ultra had a head start of almost 9 months (it was unveiled in January 2025), but somehow, that wasn't enough to flip the situation.

In the 2024 stats by Counterpoint Research, we observe the same phenomenon. The Galaxy S24 Ultra (a phone from 2024) is overtaken by the iPhone 14 (a phone from 2022).

But Sammy's Ultras are the better phones, right?

Oh, absolutely – when compared to the vanilla iPhone. Of course, it's a bit like comparing apples to oranges, since there's a price abyss between these two models and they're different beasts altogether; but the fact that there's no vanilla Galaxy S model in the 2024 or 2025 rankings speaks for itself. People favor only cheap and cheerful Galaxies and the S Ultra model… and that's that.

And who could blame them? It's not like Samsung isn't trying to push the new Ultra ahead at the expense of its more modest siblings.

My colleague Peter summed it up pretty nicely and politely:

• The Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus exist for one reason: to make the Ultra look worth it

Not a single Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus or S25 Edge made it to the top 10 list at all. Meanwhile, the budget-friendly iPhone 16e is in. It is what it is. I guess that's the most repeated mantra over at Samsung's headquarters right now.

Look, I'd personally go with any Galaxy S Ultra over any baseline iPhone. Not because I'm on team Android – iOS is not some alien technology at the end of the day.

But, first, I need that extra battery life. Badly. The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a 5,000 mAh cell, which would give me an estimated battery life of 7 hours and 40 minutes. The iPhone 16 with its 3,561 mAh cell would last about 6 hours and 21 minutes. An hour difference can be the difference between a good time and a bad time, especially when you're roaming the streets and you don't have time to stop and charge your phone in some coffee shop.

Second, the camera setup on the Ultra is on an entirely different level. It's on the level I like, with two dedicated zoom snappers, a mighty main camera sensor and all the whistles and bells I can get.

Third, I'm a sucker for the S24 Ultra's boxy, sharp-edge design. I find the iPhone 16 a bit bland (yes, it's sleek and all, but it doesn't move me) with its perfect lines.

Finally, if I'm spending money, I'd rather get a maxed-out flagship for reliability and the resale value. The vanilla iPhone is not my cup of tea, as I'd much rather get a fancy mid-ranger and save some money.

So… why can't Samsung outsell Apple?

Let's say that money isn't a problem. Also, let's forget personal preferences about a phone's size for a moment. A phone like the iPhone 14 from 2022 can't really compete with the Galaxy S24 Ultra from 2024. One is a solid phone, while the other is a serious flagship (sure, it has its shortcomings, but even you and I have some of those, too).

I'm not saying a Galaxy S Ultra deserves the first spot in the top 10 list (at least, not until Samsung dares to move past the 5,000 mAh capacity battery cell, which they've used for seven consecutive years!). But if the phone made it to the top 3 or top 5, it would be a success.

Apple is outstanding when it comes to marketing. Yes, personally, I find many of their ads to be unbearable, but the point is that they're effective. The ads are there to convince you to go and spend almost a thousand bucks on the new iPhone. And people do it. Of course, it's not just the ads but the whole Apple experience – Cupertino excels in that.

I don't see what's stopping a company like Samsung from amping it up. Well, besides the fact that there are insanely good Android phones by Honor, Xiaomi, Oppo and the rest of the gang which often cost only 50-70% of the Galaxy S Ultra's $1,300 price tag.

I'm patiently waiting for the Galaxy S26 Ultra stats to drop. Will the new privacy display feature turn the tide? Let me know in the comments below.

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