Apple’s iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max were the three highest-selling phones in the world for the first quarter of 2026, according to a list published Monday by analytics firm Counterpoint Research.
The base model iPhone 17 accounted for 6% of global sales, but the top 10 list also includes five Samsung Galaxy A series phones. The Samsung Galaxy A07 4G — the company’s lowest-priced phone available in certain regions — and the more widely available Galaxy A17 5G took fourth and fifth place on the sales list.
Xiaomi’s Redmi A5 is the sole phone on this list that isn’t made by Apple or Samsung, which includes last year’s iPhone 16, the Galaxy A56 and the Galaxy A36. The latter two phones were updated during the quarter with the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37, both of which might eventually appear in these sales charts as the year continues.
Counterpoint also noted that the $1,300 Galaxy S26 Ultra barely missed this top 10 list but is selling in higher numbers than last year’s S25 Ultra.
Lower-cost devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A17 5G make up the majority of the list.
While it’s common to see Apple’s iPhone series and the lower-cost Galaxy A phones top these sales lists, Counterpoint notes that the higher cost of phone components is likely putting more pressure on Android phone makers. The Galaxy A07, for instance, saw particularly high sales in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America — possibly due to Samsung providing six years of software and security updates for its lowest-cost phone. The $200 Galaxy A17 5G, available in the US, offers the same commitment and is the lowest-cost Galaxy phone in most regions.
Counterpoint Research’s sales numbers come as new phones are arriving with higher price tags, likely due to the ongoing RAM shortage. Several phones from Samsung, Motorola and other phone makers have seen price increases. This includes variants of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 going up in price nine months after release, and $100 to $200 price increases on Motorola’s new line of Razr phones.
According to Counterpoint senior analyst Karn Chauhan, an anticipated decline in the phone market will likely affect people looking for a lower-cost device, while higher-end phone shopping is expected to increase. This could be particularly noticeable as we move into the release of several higher-cost foldable phones, for instance, Motorola’s new $1,900 book-style Razr Fold goes on sale May 21, and we’re expecting to see new foldable Galaxy phones and a rumored iPhone Fold later this year.
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