65% of the market for premium smartphones worldwide was made up by Apple in the first half of this year. The segment revenue for Apple grew annually by 9%, with the iPhone 17 having strong sales.
Apple and other premium brands were in place to deal with the higher cost via fewer promotions and higher margins to sustain demand in the rapidly growing market even as it became challenging.
The only brand in league with Apple is Samsung, where they hold about 19% of the premium segment with a yearly growth of 3%, even with the late release of the Galaxy S26. The sharpest growth from a smaller base is Vivo and OPPO, manufacturers based in China; Vivo saw a 20% growth, and OPPO grew 69%.
Apple is expected to keep its lead over Samsung with its strength in the developed market.
