Skip to main content

Samsung smartphone models dominate Android device sales in first half of 2016

Android, search giant Google’s mobile operating system, is a veritable melting pot of smartphones. There’s the photo-focused to the curvaceous; the top-to-bottom tailor-made to the fully modular; the wood-carved to the Swarovski-studded; and practically every category of handset in between.

But despite Android phone makers’ attempts to stand out among the suffocating crowd, market success ultimately seems to come down to three factors: widespread distribution, familiar branding, and, bargain-level pricing. One company that met all three criteria this year was Samsung — according to market research firm Strategy Analytics, three of the top-selling Android models this year were the Korean company’s own.

Recommended Videos

The top-selling Android smartphone during the first half of this year was Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge, according to Strategy Analytics. The firm estimated that Samsung shipped 13.3 million units during the first half of 2016 — an astounding 2.3 percent share of all Android smartphones shipped worldwide.

Neil Mawtson, executive director at Strategy Analytics, attributed the S7 edge’s blockbuster success to its “attractive curved hardware design” and “blended sidebar” of apps. “The S7 edge is wildly popular in dozens of countries globally … [because] consumers find [it] easy to use,” Mawtson said. “Samsung has … very high brand awareness and a wide range of good-looking, user-friendly products.”

But the S7 Edge wasn’t Samsung’s only best seller. The Korean firm shipped 13 million units — a 2.3 percent share of all Android phones sold — of its low-end, wallet-friendly Galaxy J2. It performed exceptionally well in both developing and emerging markets, according to Strategy Analytics. And the aging Galaxy S7, meanwhile, managed estimated sales of 11.8 million, or a 2 percent share of all shipments. All in all, Samsung devices accounted for 6.6 percent of Android sales in the first half of this year.

Samsung’s shipments contributed to a healthy overall Android market. Vendors sold 577.3 million in the first half of 2016, up from 552.2 million in the same period last year. That bested combined sales of Apple’s iOS device catalog, shipments of which fell 16 percent, to 91.6 million in the first half of 2016 from 108.7 million in the same period a year earlier.

“Samsung remains dominant” for now, Strategy Analytics Director Woody Oh said in a statement. But its competitors are racing to catch up — Oppo saw shipments of its devices jump 137 percent in the second quarter of 2016, year over year. “However, Samsung cannot rest on its laurels, because it continues to be chased hard by emerging rivals, such as the Huawei P9, Oppo R9 and Vivo X7 devices.”

Affordability is ultimately king, apparently. Short of breakout successes like the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, palatably priced handsets generally perform better than their more expensive counterparts.

“Outside of Samsung’s Galaxy S7 flagship, a majority of vendors, including Apple, have found success with more affordable models compared to their flagship handsets,” Anthony Scarsella, a research manager at Mobile Phones, wrote as part of a report by market research company IDC earlier this year. “As smartphone prices continue to drop and competition escalates at the high-end, vendors will need to continue to push ‘flagship-type’ devices at affordable price points to encourage upgrading on a more frequent basis.”

Kyle Wiggers
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
Samsung’s One UI 7 update has been significantly delayed
A person holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung fans have been waiting with bated breath for the One UI 7 update, but we have bad news: it's been delayed until next year, according to the keynote speech at Samsung's developer conference.

One UI 7 will be released with the Galaxy S25 series, which will launch in January at the earliest. It's a relatively safe assumption that updates will roll out to older devices after that.

Read more
Have one of these Samsung devices? You won’t get software updates anymore
Four galaxy z flip3 5g phones.

When you buy a phone, you expect it to work for at least a couple of years, if not longer. For many people, the time to upgrade to a new device is when it no longer receives security updates. Samsung has announced the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy Tab S7, and Galaxy Tab S7 Plus will receive no more software updates. All three devices are now four years old, having launched in August 2020. That's about the average timespan for supporting mobile devices, but it still feels a little too short.

If you own one of these three gadgets, you might want to think about getting a newer version. While the Z Flip 5G, Tab S7, and Tab S7 Plus will all continue to work (at least for a while), they will be less secure. Software updates aren't just for improving performance and adding new features but also for patching vulnerabilities that could put your data at risk. If nothing else, make sure to use a VPN when handling any personal or banking information.

Read more
Samsung’s newest Android tablet should be here any day now
The back of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, lying face-down on a chair.

Galaxy Tab fans might not have much longer to wait before the latest entries to the lineup hit the market. Eagle-eyed sources spotted the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and the S10 Ultra on the 3C certification website. This is part of the regulation process and gives us a look into the specifications of these two tablets, and it doubles as a strong hint that they might hit the market soon.

The story broke at MySmartPrice and included a photo depicting the two tablets, which are referred to by their internal monikers: SM-X820 for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and XM-X926C for the S10 Ultra.

Read more