iPhone Captured 31.3% Share of U.S. Smartphone Market Ahead of Holidays [Report]

The iPhone captured a 31.3% share of the smartphone share in the U.S. ahead of the holidays, according to a new Kantar Worldpanel report.

Kantar says that Android sales declined in the US, GB, and France while iOS made gains across most areas in the three months ending November 2016. Android has declined in six consecutive periods in the U.S., it's now at 55.3% market share, down from 60.4% in the year ago period. iOS declined in China year over year to 19.9%.

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 6s were the three most popular smartphones in the US at the beginning of the holiday period, for a combined 31.3% share. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge were the fourth and fifth best-selling phones in the US, with Samsung capturing 28.9% of smartphone sales.


“Verizon booked nearly a quarter of all US smartphone sales during the Black Friday period, playing a vital role for all brands, including Apple and Samsung,” reported Lauren Guenveur, Consumer Insight Director for Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “Buyers were motivated by Verizon’s promotions on both Apple and Samsung’s top phones, including offers of free iPhone 7, 7 Plus and Galaxy S7 phones after trade-in and purchase requirements were met.”

Although Android decreased in the US over the past year, the brand new Pixel phone by Google made strong gains, rising to 1.3% of sales in the three months ending November 2016, with more than half of that business done through Verizon.

More details in the full report below...