iPhone 17 Becomes the Best-Selling Phone in the First Quarter of 2026

SadaNews - A new report from Counterpoint Research has shown that the iPhone 17 has surpassed the iPhone 17 Pro Max to become the best-selling smartphone in the world during the first three months of 2026.

Last month, Counterpoint Research released its list of the top 10 best-selling smartphones globally for the last quarter of 2025, where the iPhone 17 Pro Max accounted for 5% of global sales, followed by the iPhone 17, then the iPhone 17 Pro, and finally the iPhone 16.

This follows the ranking from the third quarter of 2025, where the iPhone 17 Pro Max appeared for the first time in the tenth position just weeks after its launch, according to a report from the tech news site "9to5Mac," which was seen by "Al Arabiya Business."

Now, preliminary data for the first quarter of 2026 shows that the iPhone 17 leads the list with a 6% share of global smartphone sales, followed by the iPhone 17 Pro Max and then the iPhone 17 Pro to complete the top three positions.

The list of the top ten continues with the Galaxy A07 4G and Galaxy A17 5G smartphones from Samsung, followed by the Galaxy A56, Galaxy A36, and Galaxy A17 4G, and then the Redmi A5 from Xiaomi.

Although Counterpoint Research did not disclose the sales share of other devices besides the iPhone 17, which accounted for 6%, it is noteworthy that the top three phones significantly outperformed the rest of the list.

However, the company noted that "the top ten smartphones contributed to 25% of global unit sales, marking the highest concentration ever recorded in the first quarter."

Harshit Rastogi, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research, commented on Apple’s performance during the last quarter: "The iPhone 17 continues to outperform its predecessor thanks to major upgrades such as increased base storage, improved camera resolution, and a higher screen refresh rate, bringing it closer to the Pro category and providing better value to a larger market segment."

He added, "The phone recorded double-digit year-on-year growth in major markets such as China and the United States, tripling in South Korea during this quarter. The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pro came in the following two positions, offering more advanced capabilities in camera and battery, along with new colors, materials, and designs."

Counterpoint Research stated that although Samsung's flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra narrowly missed the top ten list, it achieved stronger initial sales than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with privacy screen and enhanced AI features being the standout features.

The ultra-slim iPhone Air also missed the ranking, which was not present in the last quarter’s list for 2025 either.