Apple edged out Samsung this holiday season, claiming 44 percent of new smartphone activation in the week leading up to Christmas.
While the iPhone maker kept its spot atop the market for smartphones, its performance this Christmas was weaker than previous years. After launching the iPhone 6 in 2014, Apple snagged 51.3 percent of the market during the holiday season. Last year, the company carved out 49.1 percent, the New York Post reports. Part of the reason Apple’s numbers are down is due to the iPhone 7’s relatively lackluster launch. Sales are lower than previous year-end sales figures for the iPhone 6.
Despite declining figures, Apple still beats Samsung. Samsung was forced in September to do a complete recall of some 2.5 million Galaxy s7 phones due to a charging malfunction that can cause the phone to burst into flames. The firm went so far as to tell customers with Galaxy s7s to turn in their phone, and offered replacement phones free of charge. Just before the massive recall, the Korean phone maker outpaced Apple, overtaking it in the U.S. market by 5 percent in March of 2016, according to analysis by Counterpoint Research. (RELATED: Samsung’s Galaxy 7 Recall Is Happening At The Worst Possible Time)
Apple took back the top spot in the final quarter of 2016. Samsung claimed 21 percent of new smartphone activation this holiday season, up from 19.8 percent in 2015.
Apple and Samsung both have something to be thankful for this Christmas, as the pair kept a staggering lead over competitors like LG, Amazon and Motorola. Google’s Pixel smartphone is not listed among the ranks, but it did have a favorable launch. Initial sales figures show Google is on track to meet its three to four million unit sales goal.
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