Samsung established itself as the leader in the US smartphone market in the second quarter of this year. Its smartphone shipments accounted for 33.7 percent of the market compared to Apple's 25.4 percent. It hasn't been able to hold on to this position in the previous quarter, though.
The latest data from Strategy Analytics shows that Samsung was not the top smartphone vendor in the United States in Q3 2017. Apple overtook the company to become the leader. That doesn't change the fact that Samsung remained the top smartphone vendor globally this past quarter.
Samsung's US Market Share
According to the report Samsung shipped 9.9 million smartphones in Q3 2017, accounting for 25 percent of the market. It saw a slight increase as Samsung accounted for 24 percent of the market in Q3 2016. The Galaxy S8 reportedly performed well in the high-end segment with the Galaxy A5 and other mid-range handsets shining in the budget segment.
Apple is estimated to have shipped 12 million iPhones in the country this past quarter, accounting for 30 percent of the market. It shipped 13 million units for a 32 percent market share in Q2 2016 so this is a noticeable decline. The demand for its iPhone 8 was mixed as many customers preferred to delay their purchase for the iPhone X.
Apple customers generally stay on the sidelines in the second quarter as the company launches its new products in the third quarter. That's why Samsung led the US market in Q2 2016 as well before handing the baton back to Apple in the third quarter. That's precisely what has happened this year as well.
