Apple's iPhone 15 led global smartphone sales in the third quarter (July, August, September) of 2024, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research, a global tech research firm. The iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro followed closely, showing strong demand for Apple's latest models.

Notably, for the first time in any third quarter, Apple's Pro models made up half of all iPhone sales, highlighting a growing trend toward premium devices, states the report, which was derived from Counterpoint's Global Handset Model Sales Tracker, a tool that provides sales data on over 5,000 smartphone models across more than 350 brands and 50 countries.

Samsung claimed five spots in the global top-10 best-selling smartphones list, making it the brand with the most models represented. Apple followed with four models, while Xiaomi's Redmi 13C rounding out the list. This distribution—unchanged from 2023—kept the top-10 sales share at about 19% of the global smartphone market, as per the report.

Samsung's Galaxy S24 continued its streak of top 10, marking the first time since 2018 that a Galaxy S model entered the third-quarter top 10. The Galaxy S24's popularity is credited to Samsung's strong promotion of its GenAI features, which have captured the attention of tech-savvy users, says Counterpoint. Samsung's Galaxy A series also secured four spots, catering to a broad range of customers with competitive pricing and extensive software support, adds the research.

Here are the top 10 best-selling smartphones in Q3 2024, according to Counterpoint.

1. iPhone 15
2. iPhone 15 Pro Max
3. iPhone 15 Pro
4. Galaxy A15 4G
5. Galaxy A14 5G
6. Galaxy A35 5G
7. Galaxy A05
8. iPhone 14
9. Redmi 13C 4G
10. Galaxy S24

The report states that enticing financing options and trade-in deals have made Apple and Samsung high-end models more accessible, particularly in emerging markets.

The report also shows that the introduction of advanced AI features in both Apple's latest iPhones and Samsung's Galaxy S24 positions these brands to dominate the premium smartphone segment.

According to Counterpoint, this emphasis on premium technology and accessibility is set to keep Apple and Samsung leading the market for the foreseeable future.