Samsung Surpasses 30% Market Share in US Smartphone Market, Up 8 Percentage Points from Last Year

Market Share Gap with Apple Narrows to 18 Percentage Points
Shipments Up 38 Percent, Reaching 8.3 Million Units

In the second quarter of this year, Samsung Electronics' smartphone market share in the United States surpassed 30%, significantly narrowing the gap with Apple.

Citizens are lining up at the Samsung Electronics Galaxy Experience Zone showcased overseas last year. Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to market research firm Canalys on July 29, Apple held the highest market share among major smartphone manufacturers in the US during the second quarter, at 49%, followed by Samsung at 31%. Motorola accounted for 12%, while Google and TCL each had a 3% share. The combined market share of other manufacturers was also 3%.

Compared to the same period last year, Apple’s share dropped by 7 percentage points, while Samsung’s increased by 8 percentage points, reducing the gap from 33 percentage points to 18 percentage points.

In terms of shipments, Apple shipped 13.3 million units, an 11% decrease from the same period last year. In contrast, Samsung’s shipments increased by 38% to reach 8.3 million units.

Canalys explained, "Apple began rapidly building up inventory at the end of the first quarter and aimed to maintain this in the second quarter, while Samsung significantly expanded its inventory in the second quarter to increase shipments. Samsung’s growth was driven by its Galaxy A series products."

It was analyzed that manufacturers proactively secured product inventory in anticipation of tariff risks. During this process, the proportion of US smartphone imports assembled in China fell from 61% in the second quarter of last year to 25% in the same period this year, with most of this decrease being offset by India.

Smartphones exported from India to the US in the second quarter of this year surged by 240% compared to the same period last year, accounting for 44% of all imported smartphones.

Canalys' Principal Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia explained, "This is because Apple rapidly shifted its supply chain to India amid the uncertain trade environment between the US and China."