Apple disclosed earlier this year that it had officially surpassed the 1 billion active devices mark, distinguishing itself from its competitors. Nonetheless, recent reports indicate that the iPhone accounted for just 15.3% of the new smartphone market share in the first quarter of 2016, compared to Samsung’s 24.5%. Despite this, the iPhone has consistently outperformed Samsung in terms of smartphone sales globally.
Nonetheless, this does not align with the year-over-year web usage patterns of iPhone owners in the United States. Our internal research reveals that approximately 47% of all mobile web users in the U.S. are iPhone users.
WebFX tracks web traffic from over 1500 Google Analytics profiles, enabling us to delve into datasets such as service provider and mobile device market share.
Since the start of 2016, we have compiled data from nearly 30 million users and the mobile devices they used to access the websites we monitor. Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxies accounted for nearly two-thirds of the 30 million mobile device users analyzed. Our findings indicate that the iPhone has dominated the market not only this year but also in the two previous years we examined.
The Samsung Galaxy series, the second-largest brand in our dataset, captured just under 20% of the market share in 2016, and even less in the two preceding years. [Image: iPhone Market Share 2014-2016]
While this data is not uniform across all regions of the United States, each state presents a slightly different narrative. The map below illustrates the iPhone market share by state: [Image: iPhone Market Share State by State]
The data reveals that there are 11 states where more than 50% of the market share is held by the iPhone. Mississippi leads with 56.75%, followed by Rhode Island (55.79%) and Illinois (54.27%). At the bottom of the list is New Mexico, where iPhones account for just over a third of the smartphone market share (36.86%). As previously mentioned, Samsung Galaxy usage averages 19.46%, with Wisconsin topping the list at 24.81% and Vermont at the bottom with 9.54%.
The correlation between these numbers becomes more intriguing when observed regionally. Each dot on the following graphs represents a different state, based on our market share data.
There is a discernible correlation between iPhone market share and Samsung Galaxy market share, suggesting that states with higher iPhone usage tend to have lower Samsung Galaxy usage. [Image: State Market Share Correlation]
Our research further explores the correlation between the average household income of each state and device usage. iPhone usage is slightly correlated with higher-income states, while Samsung Galaxy usage is slightly correlated with lower-income per capita states. In essence, poorer states tend to have a higher Samsung Galaxy market share, while wealthier states have a higher iPhone market share.
[Images: iPhone Market Share vs. Mean Income, Samsung Galaxy Market Share vs. Mean Income]
So, what device are you currently using to read this blog post? Do you align with the observations we’ve made above? If so, or if not, please share your thoughts in the comments below! For more information on the data and correlations mentioned, please refer to our data spreadsheet!
