As much attention as ultra-high-end handsets like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra tend to receive from tech journalists like myself and power users like many of you, a slightly humbler and considerably cheaper model actually earned the title of best-selling smartphone in the world at the end of this year’s first quarter.
Perhaps unsurprisingly (at least after that Q1 2026 report was published), the same device is now ranked ahead of its two aforementioned super-premium rivals, as well as all other smartphones, in regional March sales across many key markets. Specifically, six of the world’s eight biggest mobile markets, with the other two trophies going to, you guessed it, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Those are some super-tight races in the US, Germany, and France
Because the iPhone 17 didn’t hold such a huge global advantage over the 17 Pro Max in the January-March timeframe, I’m definitely not surprised to see the Apple A19 Pro-powered 6.9-inch giant essentially tied with its little brother stateside and ranked pretty close behind the non-Pro 6.3-incher in Germany and France.
The iPhone 17 and 17 Pro Max are pretty much just as popular stateside. | Image by Counterpoint Research
But the iPhone 17 Pro Max still needs to admit defeat at the end of the day (at least in two of Europe’s most populous nations), while the smaller iPhone 17 Pro interestingly settles for third place in both Germany and France and with a very similar market share.
In the US, meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a close third placer, followed (also relatively close) by… the iPhone 17 Pro. America’s fifth most popular handset is… completely different, as the entry-level Samsung Galaxy A17 5G targets a far less demanding audience with much humbler specs and a way lower price point.
The same goes for the even humbler Galaxy A16 5G ranked in fifth place in France, which is beaten to the fourth spot by the Galaxy S25. No, not the S26 or S26 Ultra, but last year’s “vanilla” S25. In Germany, meanwhile, the entire top five is occupied by Apple, with the iPhone 16 and 17e ranked behind the iPhone 17, 17 Pro Max, and 17 Pro and ahead of… all of Samsung’s Android devices.
The leader is clearer in India, the UK, and Japan
You probably wouldn’t expect those three countries to have much in common, but when it comes to their smartphone sales, they do. The iPhone 17 holds a pretty comfortable advantage over the silver medalist in each of the three markets, although it’s obviously not the same thing to have a four percent slice of India’s March 2026 pie, a 25 percent share in Japan, and 29 percent in the UK.
Two iPhones, two Vivos, zero Samsungs. | Image by Counterpoint Research
But in a way, it might actually be more impressive to hold double the sales figures of more modest devices like the Oppo A6X, iPhone 16, Vivo Y19S, and Vivo T4X in the gigantic Indian market than to beat the iPhone 17 Pro by 18 percentage points in the UK and the iPhone 17e by 9 percent in Japan.
Okay, let’s agree that all three results are equally remarkable and that they’re made even more remarkable for Apple by the iPhone 17 Pro Max‘s fourth spot in UK sales and the iPhone 16 and 16e’s presence among the four most successful smartphones in Japan.
One big victory for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, one impressive win for the S26 Ultra as well
Where do you think the Galaxy S26 Ultra could possibly be the top-selling smartphone out there? Bingo: in South Korea. What kind of advantage could Samsung’s latest crown jewel hold over its domestic market’s silver medalist? Whatever number you have in mind, you might need to double it… and then some, as the S26 Ultra incredibly accounted for 43 percent of all smartphone sales in Korea in March 2026, while the Galaxy S26 had to settle for a modest 12 percent slice of the local pie.
Yet another top five with zero Samsungs in it. | Image by Counterpoint Research
Obviously, the iPhone 17 Pro Max couldn’t possibly beat the iPhone 17 by such an incredible gap in China, but once again, the sheer size of that market makes Apple’s achievement more impressive than Samsung’s domestic feat.
The 17 Pro Max, 17, and 17 Pro, mind you, hold a combined 14 percent share of Chinese sales, with the Honor X70 and Huawei Mate 80 ranked fourth and fifth with 3 and 2 percent, respectively, and Samsung nowhere to be found in the top five of the world’s biggest smartphone market. If that doesn’t put a big smile on the faces of hardcore Apple fans worldwide, I don’t know what will.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.
