Deciding which smartphone is better, the Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPhone, depends on consumer opinion. However, numbers indicate that the Samsung Galaxy is leading the way. According to recent research compiled by the IDC, Samsung market share is 9.2 percent higher than Apple after the first quarter. The first three months have not been kind to Apple, but could things turn around after the release of the iPhone 7?
Winning, by the Numbers
After the first quarter numbers, Samsung Galaxy sales hit 81.9 million. Not bad, considering Apple iPhone only had 51.2 million sales for the start of 2016. Their market shares dropped to nearly 15 percent after closing 2015 with more than 18 percent. Could this be the plateau for the company Steve Jobs founded? It is no secret that Apple has been contracting out their innovative features from other tech companies recently, such as the OLED screen.
Samsung Galaxy vs. Apple iPhone
One reason for the decline may be the constant upgrade models, such as the iPhone “s” or “Plus.” Consumers may not feel the sense of urgency for swapping out models with minimal feature upgrades. Samsung is pulling ahead in a big way, and the Galaxy S7 may even outperform Apple’s iPhone 7 model. Apple did warn consumers not to expect anything groundbreaking. The new model may have no headphone jack and a completely redesigned home button, among other features.
The Smartphone War
First quarter sales and share percentages may be the only indication of the smartphone war. However, is it time for a new innovative tech company to steal the show? I mean, what did people do before the Galaxy and iPhone? If there was ever a time for a smartphone company to bring a new spin to the market, it is now. Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo are far behind the two leaders of the pack, but they may be poised for attack. Huawei was less than half behind Apple in first quarter sales. If investors wanted to shake up the smartphone world, they could bring a new product to fruition. Why not a Tesla smartphone? Or what about Virgin? Wait, I think Sir Branson did that once.
