Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

8 months after its release, the iPhone 8 outsells the new Galaxy S9

It looks like Apple’s back on top. The company may have had a few down months thanks other companies’ upgrade cycle, but it has again locked in the top-selling smartphone spot for May — though Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus wasn’t too far away from beating it, according to Counterpoint Research.

It makes sense that Samsung came so close — the company released the Galaxy S9 in March, and the Galaxy S9 Plus held the top spot for April as a result. Both of the two devices ended up with 2.4 percent of the smartphone market share, but in the end, the iPhone inched ahead. Of course, the iPhone 8 wasn’t the only phone to show up on the list — the iPhone X also appears, coming in third place. In fourth was the Xiaomi Redmi 5A, and the iPhone 8 Plus came in fifth. Other phones in the top 10, in order, include the likes of the standard Samsung Galaxy S9, Huawei P20 Lite, Vivo X21, Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, and Oppo A83.

It’s a pretty big deal for Apple to grab three of the top five spots on the list and it comes after a series of big advertising campaigns for the company. For example, a new ad campaign was launched for the FIFA World Cup highlighting “How to shoot on an iPhone,” which has reportedly helped generate a lot of interest for the device, especially in Europe.

Even more notable about the fact that the iPhone 8 and iPhone X are so successful is that we’ll be getting a slew of new iPhones in a matter of a few months. Apple normally refreshes the iPhone in September, and that’s when we’re expecting to see a follow-up to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. Apple is rumored to be moving to a lineup of three phones with the iPhone X design this time around, which could help generate even more sales. It’s likely the gap between the top-tier iPhone and the Galaxy S9 won’t be so close in a few months, when the new set of iPhones launch and Apple is expected to absolutely dominate the market — as it usually does.

It’s interesting that Samsung was able to get so close to Apple in May — new reports indicate that the company has missed profit estimates and suffered a 0.7 percent decline in sales year over year.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
10 colors I wish Apple made for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro in a red color.

Apple finally revealed the iPhone 15 at its “Wonderlust” event on September 12. This lineup includes the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. There were other products announced during the event as well, but the iPhone 15 series is the biggest of the bunch.

However, Apple’s really been dropping the ball lately in terms of device colors. This year is especially bad with the very pastel and muted colors of the iPhone 15 models, not to mention the various shades of gray for the iPhone 15 Pro variants.

Read more
The iPhone 15 Pro isn’t the iPhone upgrade I hoped it would be
Apple iPhone 15 Pro with titanium frame.

When Apple introduced the first “Pro” iPhone in 2019, it stood with an additional telephoto camera at the back. To this day, the third lens serves as a proud marker of the Pro moniker. The camera chops are what predominantly separated these pricey trims from the non-Pro variants.

As Apple’s fall launch event unfolded last week, I was hoping to see some big camera upgrades fitting for the new Pro models. Yet, the only meaningful camera upgrade we got was kept exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Instead of the iPhone 14 Pro’s 3x zoom camera, the iPhone 15 Pro Max makes the jump to a 5x telephoto camera.

Read more
My iPhone 15 Pro Max preorder was so much cheaper than I expected
View of the iPhone 15 Pro's camera module.

I’ve spent less money on a shiny new iPhone 15 Pro Max than I did on my iPhone 14 Pro when it launched, yet I’m getting more for my money. Sounds unbelievable, and I’ve had to double-check the figures, but it’s certain — this year's bigger phone was cheaper than last year's smaller one.

Along with some other key changes, Apple has also solved all the problems I had with its largest iPhone last year, making the iPhone 15 Pro Max the obvious choice for me this year.
Expensive, but cheaper. Really
Color options for iPhone 15 Pro series Apple

Read more