How Hardware Updates Made iPhone 17 the Best-Selling Smartphone Globally
In Focus
- iPhone 17 topped smartphone sales globally in Q1 2026
- Sales from the iPhone model represented 6% of the global smartphone market
- Apple’s iPhone 17 models captured the top three spots
- iPhone 17 lineup launched globally in September 2025
iPhone 17 sales soared in Q1 2026, making it the best-selling smartphone globally. The newly launched device commanded 6% of the global smartphone market share in the quarter. iPhone 17 is part of the iPhone 17 series, other models in this lineup are the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Pro.
iPhone 17 Models Dominated Global Sales
Counterpoint Research Global Handset Model Sales Tracker showed that the three iPhone 17 models captured the top three spots. News about iPhone 17 becoming the best-selling smartphone comes a month after Counterpoint’s data showed that iPhone 17 Pro Max dominated the global market in Q4 2025.
At the time, the Pro Max sales accounted for 5% of global smartphone sales, followed by iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro. Apple closed 2025 as the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world after it controlled 20% of the global smartphone market. The tech giant was followed closely by Samsung, whose market share stood at 19%.
Apple launched the iPhone 17 series globally in September 2025. The standard iPhone 17 model featured performance upgrades like a higher refresh rate screen and a dual 48-megapixel rear camera.
How Did iPhone 17 Overtake iPhone 17 Pro Max Sales?
According to Counterpoint, improvements in hardware contributed to iPhone 17’s rise in global sales ranking. Apple introduced multiple updates to the standard iPhone model last year. The updates included 256GB storage, up from iPhone 16’s 128GB.
“iPhone 17 continues to outperform its predecessor owing to key upgrades like higher base storage, camera resolution, display refresh rate, bringing the smartphone closer to the Pro variants and providing overall value for a larger market,” Senior Counterpoint Analyst, Harshit Rastogi noted in a company statement.
Apple had given a strong sales outlook at the beginning of the year, largely driven by surging demand for iPhone 17 models. The tech giant plans to introduce AI features powered by Gemini models to iPhones after the two companies signed a major deal early this year.
Samsung Models Among Top Selling Phones
As iPhones captured the top three slots in global sales ranking, five Samsung models featured among the top ten selling smartphones. Mid-range models like Samsung Galaxy A07 4G and Galaxy A17 5G were among the top sellers, with high-end models like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra narrowly missing from the list.
Other Samsung models that appeared on the top ten list were Galaxy A56, Galaxy A36, and Galaxy A17 4G. Chinese smartphone brand, Redmi A5 closed the global sales ranking for Q1 2026.
Counterpoint said major smartphone models will continue expanding their share of unit sales globally in 2026. The research firm expects the ongoing memory chip shortage to affect mass-market segments. However, the company says high-end brands will likely continue to expand their market share.
