Survey: Over 90% of phones sold by US carriers are Samsung or Apple

03 January 2020
The US is the most difficult market for any other smartphone brand.

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Dometalican, 03 Jan 2020Well...duh, because the carriers have NOTHING ELSE. LG is m... moreThis. I agree with this so much. It forces me to have to just buy unlocked phones

    Anonymous, 03 Jan 2020I guess I agree with you, huawei may be years ahead other c... moreCybersecurity does not care about such prejudices such as yours, and to this date there is no evidence against Huawei, just American state sponsored FUD.

      LG Superfan, 03 Jan 2020That's your opinion not everyone's Your opinion is also just an opinion in the sea of opinions, you opinionated person.

        I don't understand why Google are crap in the US market years after years.
        It's their home market & still they failed. There is no political hindrance for them, and yet they still struggle.

          • K
          • KEK
          • 8xf
          • 03 Jan 2020

          Miscellaneous, 03 Jan 2020Yes because we all no google and America don't spy on anyone.... Mention one time when Google came and leaked gmail data of a president or some big personality of another country. The NSA was indeed collecting data, but they were instead collecting it directly from the internet using their own tools.

          On the other hand, Oneplus has leaked data of their users several times and I dont see anyone bashing them.

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            • Rokka
            • fIP
            • 03 Jan 2020

            If you come to Asian countries, companies other than Samsung and Apple have better marketing

            Combined that with a low price, you get sales

              Dometalican, 03 Jan 2020Well...duh, because the carriers have NOTHING ELSE. LG is m... moreThere's a reason for that.
              This article hinted at it, that the fact majority of consumers in the US buy phones through carriers. This means the OEMs have to work with the carriers, and that often times creating 4 or more different SKU for the same model for each different US carrier. The chinese OEMs probably cannot afford to do this as they are operating on a really thin margins. On the other hand, Samsung can afford to make 4 different versions of their Samsung Galaxy phones for each carriers since they are the most profitable amongst all Android OEMs.

              It's just the way the phone market is in the US. It's different in other countries where people are buying phones independently from the carriers, so the OEMs can simply make generic versions of their models.

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                • Dometalican
                • rey
                • 03 Jan 2020

                Well...duh, because the carriers have NOTHING ELSE. LG is mediocre, HTC doesn't exist, Motorola has been reduced to a mid-ranger, and Sony doesn't work with carriers here. WHY THE $@&# ELSE DO I WANT THE CHINESE BRANDS TO HAVE US BANDS!? I'm sick of Apple's garbage hardware, sick of Samsung's bloat, and I'm sick of the deals ONLY pertaining to those 2 brands. The US needs more variety. Only Razer, Nubia, and Asus have given us the US bands; hence why I'm begging Razer to make a 3rd phone with a giant battery.

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                  • Anonym
                  • Lcd
                  • 03 Jan 2020

                  It's the US, I feel like Apple alone will have close to 90% of the market.

                    I stopped buying from the carrier years ago for this reason.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • nI8
                      • 03 Jan 2020

                      Miscellaneous, 03 Jan 2020Yes because we all no google and America don't spy on anyone.... Actually, I think America can "legally" (ie. in US law) spy on any *foreign* people, but not not on Americans.

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                        • Anonymous
                        • nI8
                        • 03 Jan 2020

                        L-L London-Lover, 03 Jan 2020There isn't anything wrong with these phones but these are ... moreRemember, iPhones are much cheaper in US than abroad.

                          potato4k, 03 Jan 2020For a Samsung, yes. Plenty of alternatives running Android,... moreNow, that's like more logical. :) (you can check my favourite devices once;)

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                            • Anonymous
                            • 3xL
                            • 03 Jan 2020

                            Best of different world. After my experienced with a lot of android phones around Samsung still the best of android overall.

                              It's been a duopoly over here in the US for a decade. Even before thr Trump ban, I hardly ever saw people using a Huawei or found them at a carrier. I've never seen a Sony Xperia user ever in my life. All the old BlackBerry users from 10 years ago are probably on iPhone already the way Kim Kardashian West is.

                              I can't stand iOS. I might like the iPhone those first 20+ months before I start hating them as time goes on. I lived in the Philippines and the market is completely different. It is far more diverse. I might see an iPhone user like 10% of the time. Too expensive over there. In America, it seems where I live it's like 90% iPhone users. I can't escape it. More users can't due to iMessages or whatever else ecosystem service they stuck with.

                              Sometimes I do wish to buy iPhone not because I really want it again or because I can get them the cheapest here. No. It's only because of iMessages. It's become the main source of texting and sending photos and videos to friends and family over here. Nobody here is into WhatsApp or Viber. If they do have them, to message people from abroad. It's all about iMessages and FaceTime.

                              I have Google Voice for well over a decade already. Even they have limitations when it comes to sending gifs if it's too large. Can't even send videos. I like GV because I can use it on any phone and every phone will notify me. But the sending gifs and videos is quite weak. With iMessages, no degradation in quality. Way better than the archaic MMS.

                              Another appealing aspect from iPhone is in case it needs a battery replacement or repairs, Apple Stores are everywhere where I live. If you buy a rare phone, good luck finding repairs and expect mailing it to them. I have an Essential Phone and I'm pretty much stuck with it as paperweight once the battery is truly degraded. I can still go uBreakitFixit if I had a Galaxy or Pixel but not a Essential or anything more obscure.

                              I'm still reluctant going back using an iPhone. I still believe the Dasher app for DoorDash drivers is still done better on Android. And DD is my livelihood, so I stick to Android. That might be the only times I see more Android users. When they're Dashers. If you're a teen, you're likely using iPhone. I heard one Japanese-American teenager saying to another that Android sucks. She doesn't know any better or she's content where she's at with iOS.

                              This year marks 9 years of me using Android but I've used iPhone 3 years earlier. If you used both for several years and even at the same time, you pretty much know their strengths and weaknesses. I'm like Michael Fisher, I can't see myself using iPhone as a daily driver. I like variety. I need my Nova Launcher Prime, Kiwi Browser, Call Blacklist, QuickPic, ES File Explorer, Flud, MX Player, Moon+ Reader, and ability to sideload apps to get a GCam apk or a hacked Pandora that has zero ads.

                              Long live Android for me. I can live with its flaws much better than I can with iOS.

                                L-L London-Lover, 03 Jan 2020There isn't anything wrong with these phones but these are ... moreFor a Samsung, yes. Plenty of alternatives running Android, and thus running the same apps.

                                For iPhones, not really, as iOS is Apple exclusive. Even spec wise you cannot get another non-Apple phone with the same Ax chip. So there's really no alternative for iPhones.

                                  Zero, 03 Jan 2020Actually the fact is even worse.... Samsung has not that st... moreThink about it. From brand perspective, if you're going to pay the same amount of money, most people would probably pick Apple over Samsung. For many, especially US consumers, Apple as a brand is stronger than Samsung.

                                  It's different in emerging markets where Samsung is selling many lower priced A series.

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                                    • AnonD-833125
                                    • p6g
                                    • 03 Jan 2020

                                    MrGrumpy, 03 Jan 2020Amen to that brother. I'd say anything over 5" is no longer... moreThe sad explanation to this is that smartphones had become more and more all around devices, they are not considered just phones anymore.
                                    People are seeing their phones like TV, console, PC, etc. which is sad really.
                                    I think that is why more and more people want 6.5"+ phones.
                                    I had 6.5" 190 g phone, not anymore. I had to take it out of my pocket when I climb the stairs of my flat. Not to mention the fatigue of holding it with one hand. Useless.

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • kkL
                                      • 03 Jan 2020

                                      Aadrian , 03 Jan 2020So it is basically a boring smartphone country. The smartphone market as a whole has become boring for the average consumer. 5G might add a little spice, but for the average person, the latest bump in processing or camera power isn’t that big of a deal anymore.

                                        Anonymous, 03 Jan 2020What's wrong with these phones? Both offers great phones.There isn't anything wrong with these phones but these are overpriced. We can get the same phones or even better with a much lower price.