Apple’s iPhone 15 led global smartphone sales in the third quarter (July, August, September) of 2024, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research, a global technology research firm. The iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro followed closely behind, showing strong demand for Apple’s latest models.

Notably, for the first time in the third quarter, Apple’s Pro models accounted for half of all iPhone sales, highlighting a growing trend toward premium devices, said the report, which was derived from Counterpoint’s Global Handset Model Sales Tracker, a tool that provides sales. data on over 5,000 smartphone models from over 350 brands and 50 countries.

Samsung occupied five places in the list of the best-selling smartphones worldwide, becoming the brand with the most models represented. Apple followed with four models, while Xiaomi’s Redmi 13C rounds out the list. That distribution — unchanged from 2023 — kept the top 10’s sales share at about 19 percent of the global smartphone market, according to the report.

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 continued its top 10 streak, marking the first time since 2018 that a Galaxy S model entered the top 10 in the third quarter. The Galaxy S24’s popularity is attributed to Samsung’s strong promotion of its GenAI features, which have captured the attention of tech-savvy users, Counterpoint says. The Samsung Galaxy A series also secured four spots, catering to a wide range of customers with competitive pricing and extensive software support, the research adds.

Here are the top 10 best-selling smartphones in Q3 2024, according to Counterpoint.

1. iPhone 15
2. iPhone 15 Pro Max
3. iPhone 15 Pro
4. Galaxy A15 4G
5. Galaxy A14 5G
6. Galaxy A35 5G
7. Galaxy A05
8. iPhone 14
9. Redmi 13C 4G
10. Galaxy S24

The report states that attractive financing options and trade-in offers have made high-end Apple and Samsung models more affordable, especially in emerging markets.

The report also shows that the introduction of advanced AI features in both Apple’s latest iPhones and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 position these brands to dominate the premium smartphone segment.

According to Counterpoint, this focus on premium technology and affordability will keep Apple and Samsung at the top of the market for the foreseeable future.