Do loyal Samsung Galaxy owners have a larger annual income than loyal iPhone owners?
Data from CIRP answers whether loyal iPhone or Galaxy handset buyers have the highest annual income.
It's the age-old question that rivals the most famous philosophical riddle of all time: "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" The question is, "Who makes more money, a loyal Apple iPhone user or a loyal Samsung Galaxy user? Okay, it is really not a philosophical riddle like the chicken-egg question, but ever since Apple and Samsung developed a smartphone rivalry, this question has come up. Thanks to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), we have a data-driven reply.
CIRP went through its quarterly survey of mobile phone buyers looking for loyal Apple and Samsung buyers. CIRP defines a loyal iPhone or Galaxy buyer as one who owned an Apple or Samsung handset and replaced it or upgraded by buying the same brand of smartphone. The data shows that more loyal Apple iPhone buyers than loyal Samsung Galaxy buyers can be found in both the upper and lower income ranges. Those in the middle-income range were more apt to be loyal Galaxy handset owners.
Many would expect iPhone buyers to be found in the top income range because of the prices that Apple charges for its handsets. CIRP explains that loyal iPhone buyers end up in the bottom income range because of the large number of iPhone models purchased by younger users who don't have to pay for housing or other adult expenses.
Income ranges of loyal Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phone buyers for the 12 months ended last quarter. | Image credit-CIRP
The middle-income range accounts for 75% of the purchases of Samsung Galaxy phones by loyal buyers compared to 67% of iPhone purchases attributed to loyal users. That's because Samsung does have a popular mid-range lineup. Apple does not compete in that segment of the market. The very top tier, those who make $150,000 or more a year, made up 9% of iPhone purchases by loyal buyers during the 12 months ending with the March 2025 quarter. That compares to the 6% of Galaxy purchases made by loyal Samsung users in that tier.
24% of iPhone purchases made during that same time period were from loyal buyers earning less than $25,000 a year. That compares to the 19% of Galaxy purchases made by loyal Samsung users that were made by those in the lowest income tier.
Both Apple and Samsung loyalists face the possibility of higher prices this year as President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on smartphones imported into the U.S. that aren't built in America. Among the phones cited specifically by Trump were those made by Apple and Samsung.
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