According to data, Apple iPhone 17 was the best-selling smartphone globally in Q1 this year competition. This represents an impressive 6% of all smartphones sold during the quarter. Like the Q1 2025, its more expensive siblings feature in the top 3 – the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Pro.
This year, vanilla iPhones have gained a huge lead over their Pro siblings. And the older iPhone 16 is still on the charts – it’s in the #6 spot.
Best selling smartphones in the first quarter of 2026
Meanwhile, the best-selling Android phone in the first three months of 2026 is the Samsung Galaxy A07 4G – yes, a 4G model. The phone proved popular in emerging markets such as the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. There is another Samsung LTE phone in the top 10, the Galaxy A17 4G. Both phones promise 6 major OS updates, which will give them greater longevity, although their aging modems may hold them back in 2031.
For its price, the 5G Galaxy A17 ranks high on the charts. The chart also highlights the importance of the A50 and A30 series, with the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 at #7 and #8 respectively.
Best selling smartphones in Q1 2025 and 2024
You may notice one glaring absence – where is the Galaxy S26 Ultra? Last year, the S25 Ultra was the only Android flagship on the list. However, don’t read too much into it. Counterpoint says the S26 Ultra just missed making the top 10 despite launching a month later (March 2026 vs. February 2025) – meaning it only caught the tail end of Q1.
Xiaomi once again made the top 10 list with a stunning model – Redmi A5. It is one of the cheapest Android Go phones and like the A07, it is a 4G model that was popular in emerging markets.
Harshit Rastogi, senior analyst at Counterpoint, said, “The iPhone 17 is outperforming its predecessor due to key upgrades like higher base storage, camera resolution, display refresh rate, which brings the smartphone closer to the Pro variant and provides overall value for the mass market. The smartphone recorded double-digit year-on-year growth in key markets such as China, the US and South Korea for the quarter by 3x. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pro occupied the following two spots, which were driven by camera, battery and new colors, materials And offer even more advanced capabilities in Finnish.”
apple iphone 17
| 256GB 8GB RAM | ₹ 82,900 |
$751.84 |
| 512GB 8GB RAM | $940.88 |
€1,014.65 |
| Show all prices | ||
apple iphone 16
| 128gb 8gb ram | $454.44 |
€583.98 |
| 256GB 8GB RAM | $521.54 |
€659.99 |
| Show all prices | ||
Samsung Galaxy A07
| 64GB 4GB RAM | $99.50 |
£94.28 |
| 128gb 4gb ram | $118.49 |
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| Show all prices | ||