iPhone 17 is world's top-selling phone: Here's why
What's the story
Apple's standard iPhone 17 has taken the crown of the world's best-selling smartphone in Q1 2026, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Global Handset Model Sales Tracker. The device managed to dethrone its more expensive sibling, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, by capturing a market share of around 6% in global unit sales. The report also reveals that the iPhone 17 Pro came in third place during this period.
Market performance
iPhone 17's success attributed to hardware upgrades
The iPhone 17's success over the Pro Max model can be attributed to the significant hardware upgrades Apple introduced in September last year. These enhancements included a 120Hz refresh rate display and an increase in base storage from 128GB on the iPhone 16 to a more generous 256GB. Senior Counterpoint analyst Harshit Rastogi noted that "iPhone 17 continues to outperform its predecessor owing to key upgrades like higher base storage, camera resolution, and display refresh rate."
Sales surge
Impressive growth in major markets for iPhone 17
Rastogi also highlighted the impressive growth of the iPhone 17 in major markets such as China and the US. He revealed that "the smartphone registered double-digit YoY growth in key markets like China, the US and 3x in South Korea for the quarter." He added that "Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pro captured the following two spots, offering even more advanced capabilities across camera, battery and new color, material and finish."
Market competition
Samsung's Galaxy A series dominates top 10 list
Samsung's Galaxy A series dominated the top 10 list, with five models making it to the cut: Galaxy A07, Galaxy A56, Galaxy A36, Galaxy A17 5G and Galaxy A17 4G. The success of these devices can be attributed to their popularity in emerging markets such as the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Samsung's long-term software support policy of six years for OS updates also contributed to this success.
Additional entries
Redmi A5 also makes it to top 10 list
Xiaomi's Redmi A5 also made it to the top 10 list, taking the 10th spot. The report credits this device's continued popularity since its launch in emerging markets for its place on the list. Notably, despite missing out on a top 10 spot, Samsung's latest Galaxy S26 Ultra came close with stronger initial sales than its predecessor due to features like privacy display and new AI upgrades.