iPhone 17 Outselling Every Other Phone Worldwide So Far This Year

[MacRumors]

Apple's iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in the first quarter of 2026, capturing 6 percent of worldwide unit sales, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Global Handset Model Sales Tracker.

The iPhone 17 series dominated the top three spots, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max in second place and the iPhone 17 Pro in third. The previous-generation iPhone 16 also held on at sixth place, suggesting there's still strong demand for the model, following its blockbuster sales run throughout last year.

Counterpoint senior analyst Harshit Rastogi credited the iPhone 17's success to upgrades that brought the base model closer to the Pro variants, including higher 256GB base storage, improved cameras, and a faster 120Hz display refresh rate. Not only did the iPhone 17 post double-digit year-over-year growth in China and the U.S., it also tripled its sales in South Korea for the quarter.

Samsung's Galaxy A series filled the remaining five spots, led by the budget-friendly Galaxy A07 4G as the best-selling Android phone of the quarter. Xiaomi's Redmi A5 filled out the list in tenth place.

Taken together, the top 10 devices accounted for 25% of global smartphone sales -- the highest first-quarter concentration ever recorded, according to Counterpoint. In the meantime, the standard iPhone 17 is set to enjoy a six-month-longer flagship run than usual, with the iPhone 18 expected to see a launch in spring 2027.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Outselling Every Other Phone Worldwide So Far This Year

 

[Shalev Lazarof]

IMO This is the most balanced feature packed iPhone for most users, unless you have specific need that the Air/Pro offer like thin and light form factor, triple camera system etc the 17 checks many boxes of what a smartphone should have in 2026, starting with iOS.

 

[martin2345uk]

and Apple saw this and were like “Never again! Let us gimp the standard 18 immediately!”

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

It’s a new iPhone 11 back at the time

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

and Apple saw this and were like “Never again! Let us gimp the standard 18 immediately!”

They do not wanna tell you maybe how badly were selling pro models. I think iPhone 17 highly impacted big brothers world wide …

 

[neuropsychguy]

They do not wanna tell you maybe how badly were selling pro models. I think iPhone 17 highly impacted big brothers world wide …

That’s not what the chart shows. If you believe the 17 is selling well, the chart in the article shows the 17 Pro Max and 17 Pro also selling well. It is likely some people bought the 17 instead of the 17 Pro, but there's no evidence the 17 Pro is "badly...selling".

 

[winxmac]

I don't know whoever made the bar graph but that someone made the legend redundant or unnecessary. The brand names of the smartphone are already mentioned.

 

[chineseguy38]

Seriously, iPhone 17 is the best value for money since the Pros downgraded from Titanium to Aluminium with high price.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

This is why I cannot believe that they seriously are going to start downgrading the iPhone.

 

[Shifts]

I know nothing about Samsung phones, but do they really offer separate models for 4G respectively 5G networks? Or is it just an artificial way to show Samsung further down the chart?

 

[Basic75]

Isn't that a completely worthless metric because Samsung has more models which dilutes the market share of each one taken alone?

 

[cicalinarrot]

IMO This is the most balanced feature packed iPhone for most users, unless you have specific need that the Air/Pro offer like thin and light form factor, triple camera system etc the 17 checks many boxes of what a smartphone should have in 2026, starting with iOS.

We're almost there for me, but...
I think having no zoom camera at this point is pretty sad and forced at that price point.
There are Android phones that cost a much less than the 17 that can take better pictures from a distance, as anybody may need at a concert or when you see a cool bird or something. Nothing "Pro", very normal usage.
I'm also still mad at how they call the "optical-quality" zoom an "optical zoom" (which is just a lie) in the specifications. Cool sensor, surely better than most optical zooms on other phones, but you can't pretend it's an optical zoom when you crop, it's a scam.

For me personally, USB 2 is also kinda bad, but I understand that not many people notice. All rivals at that price point have been featuring USB 3 for years.

Great phone in most other aspects, of course, but I find a tad annoying that some features like that have to be left to the Pro just to fully justify its existence. A cool 30x telescopic optical zoom with night vision! That's a quirky feature for the special model! Not a 4x, I want that on my "cheaper" 900€ phone.

 

[Kidseeghost]

That is why they will make the 18 worse lol. They made the 17 too good and it broke the ladder.

 

[Nyx1]

And they downgrade 18 series

 

[Kidseeghost]

That’s not what the chart shows. If you believe the 17 is selling well, the chart in the article shows the 17 Pro Max and 17 Pro also selling well.

Yes but Apple wants people to buy the Pro and they were the top sellers in the past. The Pros have a bigger margin than the regular. The regular only exists to push you to the top of the line. Cost to produce the Pro and the standard are only a few dollars apart but the retail price difference is bigger.

 

[El Cabong]

That’s not what the chart shows. If you believe the 17 is selling well, the chart in the article shows the 17 Pro Max and 17 Pro also selling well.

Who could be expected to actually read the post instead of just the title?

Isn't that a completely worthless metric because Samsung has more models which dilutes the market share of each one taken alone?

More or less. The base iPhone models have been the best-selling every year since 2014. The last time Samsung had the top spot was in 2013 with the Galaxy S4 beating out the iPhone 5s.

 

[El Cabong]

Yes but Apple wants people to buy the Pro and they were the top sellers in the past. The Pros have a bigger margin than the regular. The regular only exists to push you to the top of the line. Cost to produce the Pro and the standard are only a few dollars apart but the retail price difference is bigger.

That is incorrect. The Pros have always been second place to the base models, in terms of units sold. Margins/revenue are a separate story given the difference in production costs, as you point out.