The latest SellCell survey of 5,000 Americans confirms that user loyalty to the iPhone brand hit an all-time high of 91.9%, up 1.4% from a year earlier. At the same time, users praise Apple for the quality of smartphones and for the long-term support of old models with updates to the iOS operating system. 10% of those surveyed said that the transition to Android is too problematic, but some iPhone users still do it for a number of reasons.
Former iPhone owners cited three main reasons that prompted them to switch to Android: better screens, cameras, and larger batteries. Also, users noted that they prefer the variety in design and the openness of the Android operating system, which can be customized.
In terms of brands, half of iPhone users looking to upgrade to Android choose Samsung, while 30% prefer Google Pixel smartphones. That being said, Samsung brand loyalty plummeted from 85.7% in 2019 to 74% last year.
In the list of the most popular smartphones, the places are divided as follows: the iPhone 12 took first place with 17%, followed by the iPhone 12 Pro Max with 12.7%, and the third place is occupied by the Samsung S21 (11.4%).
Apple finally defeated Samsung in the global smartphone market
Apple overtook Samsung to become the world’s leading smartphone brand amid record sales of iPhone smartphones. The company showed a huge jump in the last quarter of last year, while Huawei‘s position weakened greatly.
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According to Counterpoint Research, shipments of iPhone smartphones increased 22% in the previous quarter. The surge is driven by the release of the iPhone 12 lineup, which supports fifth-generation networks. Also, sales of previous models did not fall, the demand for which is stable after the price decline.
The company has shipped 90 million smartphones and has more than 23% market share. Analysts note that Apple has strengthened its position in the premium segment of smartphones in China. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, two of the top three selling premium smartphones in China are from Apple.
The second place in the quarter belongs to Samsung, which received about 19% of the market. The third place went to Xiaomi, followed by Oppo and Vivo, which took the fourth and fifth places, respectively. Huawei dropped to 6th place.
If we consider the results for the year, then Samsung is in the lead, Apple is second, Huawei is third, followed by Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Realme. The latter was the fastest growing brand in the past year.
Counterpoint Research’s data is broadly consistent with estimates by another analyst firm, IDC, which we have already published.
