While Apple sell-in dropped to 39 per share of the market in the US, the continued success of the iPhone 11 series and the iPhone SE 2020 helped Apple maintain its position as the market leader.
Samsung with 30 percent share witnessed double-digit year-on-year (YoY) growth as the A-series and the premium Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy S20 series devices all performed well against other Android competition, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research.
South Korean company LG trailed in the third position with 13 percent market share.
Apple has been the US smartphone market leader since Q3 2017. iPhone sales remained strong in the September quarter despite the delayed launch of the iPhone 12.
"Quarter-on-quarter, Apple had a good rebound due to strong sales of the iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE 2020 in July and August," said Research Director Jeff Fieldhack.
"These were the last months that many received extra unemployment benefits and stimulus check money, which helped grow sales due to pent up demand," he said in a statement.
Consumers did delay their iPhone purchase in September, but the demand for iPhones in the first two months of the quarter outweighed this decrease.
"Q4 will likely see Apple's sell-in share rise even higher as all iPhone 12 variants will be available for purchase and carriers are already giving customers better deals than last year's iPhone 11 launch promos," Fieldhack said.
"Samsung had one of the biggest YoY increases of any OEM which helped it reach a sell-in market share of 30 percent.
"The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, which launched in late September, has been well-received by consumers due to the more affordable $699 price-tag, larger battery capacity, and the 120Hz AMOLED display," said Research Analyst Maurice Klaehne.
By comparison, LG's market share has remained relatively stable, but "we do expect it to gain a small share in Q4 with its lower-priced 5G offerings such as the LG Velvet and the K92 5G".
