There is no crisis in smartphone sales: the most expensive iPhones are among the best sellers in Lithuania

The slowing economy does not diminish the appetite of Lithuanians for luxury smarts. The top ten best-selling phones in the first four months of this year are dominated by high-end iPhone and Samsung models, according to Telia’s data. However, despite the fact that the dynamics of sales have not changed much since last year, specialists still see several signs that betray the savings of the compatriots.

“The trend of top-selling smartphones remains unchanged from year to year. Lithuanians have stopped buying budget models for some time and prefer to buy market flagships. The latest statistics show that people are still reluctant to experiment with new or lesser-known brands, and in order to spend less money on a device, they prefer an older model of the market chain instead of the latest “average”. It’s true, at the expense of the latter, buyers started saving this year – it has firmly established itself in the top five sellers in 2021. “iPhone” was released, says Rimantė Marcišauskienė, head of Telia’s phone category.

in 2024 The company’s top ten best-selling phones in the first quarter look like this:

1. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
2. Apple iPhone 15 Pro 5G
3. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max 5G
4. Apple iPhone 15 5G
5. Apple iPhone 13 5G
6. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5G
7. Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
8. Samsung Galaxy S24 5G
9. Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
10. Apple iPhone 14 5G

The leader is immovable

Although smartphones have often changed places in the ranking of the best sellers, none of them is able to dislodge the Samsung Galaxy A5 series models from the leading position. Galaxy A54 5G took the first place in the top ten again this year, continuing the victorious march of its predecessors, A52 and A53 5G. The main “horse” of these models is an ideal balance between innovation and practical solutions, allowing the price of the smartphone to be kept within the mid-range segment.

“From a consumer perspective, the Galaxy A54 5G looks more modern than some of its direct competitors. Samsung’s product has a larger and brighter display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate that enables smoother control. It can also boast of a larger battery, several cameras and features characteristic of flagships, such as a fingerprint reader installed under the screen”, R. Marcišauskienė explains in detail the reason for its success.

And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that fortune will turn away from Samsung anytime soon. The “Galaxy A55 5G” model, which was released in March, has already managed to establish itself in the ninth place of the top ten, which may become the new sales leader by the end of the year.

The specialist also notices that its traditional rivals from the east – Xiaomi – have withdrawn from the fight with the successful Samsung Galaxy A line. The products of its subsidiary company Redmi Note were in the middle of the best-selling phone chart a couple of years ago, but recently their fortunes have turned a little. The manufacturer may have a leg up on a wide range of models, which includes many mid-range representatives with different specifications, the prices of which often overlap with the company’s previously released “premium” models, not to mention the parallel offers of another Xiaomi subsidiary, Poco.

Such a complicated selection process allows Samsung to gather the sympathy of the most price-sensitive buyers and business customers – the Galaxy A15 5G and S24 5G boast the seventh and eighth places in the table, respectively, leaving no chance for competitors.

iPhone love is timeless

At first glance, the decline in consumption and financial insecurity heard in the news is not reflected in the choice of the smart in any way. The second, third and fourth places in the top ten, just like last year, were occupied by the latest iPhones – iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15.

Unlike the past few years, the supply of Apple’s latest phones has been fairly steady since their launch in September, so their absence from the shelves in the first few months of this year likely wasn’t just due to a stabilized supply. The new USB-C connector that debuted on the iPhone 15 series, the rugged titanium frame for the Pro models, and significant camera improvements are likely to have helped keep sales strong, finally encouraging iPhone 12 series owners who have been waiting for the new models to upgrade. will get bigger changes.

“The only sign of belt-tightening is the iPhone 13 staying in the fifth place of the top ten.” It has not been able to dislodge the iPhone 14 from its predecessor since last year, remaining in the tenth position. Due to the very small technical differences, which are limited to newer body colors, a slightly better front camera and several camera improvements, users decided to save approximately 100 euros and not buy a more expensive phone just to have a newer model in their pocket. This shows the increasing rationality of buyers and their approach to technology through the prism of practicality,” the expert shares her insights.

A jump in Samsung flagships

The biggest shift in the latest ranking can be attributed to the noticeable jump of Samsung’s high-end smartphones in the TOP10 positions. In last year’s top ten, Samsung’s flagships were represented only by the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which took the last place, while this year we have even two models in it – the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the smaller Galaxy S24.

“I would say that the main reason for the return of Samsung flagships is the almost two weeks earlier launch date. The premiere, which took place in January instead of February, also caught up with the dead holiday train, when people tend to purchase goods using gift certificates and other forms of funds. The artificial intelligence functions that were widely publicized and the new, more angular iPhone-like case design probably contributed to the greater interest of buyers,” the expert thinks.

At that time, the clear gap between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the cheaper models in the series can be explained by the differences in specifications. Since new devices are usually purchased by enthusiasts immediately after release, they most likely appreciated the Snapdragon chip installed in the Ultra version, which outperforms the Exynos of the cheaper variants, and the titanium body that only the most expensive model of the line has.

“In Lithuania and many other markets, the transition of consumers to the most expensive models is related to the desire to change smartphones less often. Since their technology isn’t changing as fast as it used to, people who invest in a more advanced device expect to use it for longer, thus spending less money and delaying the tedious process of changing phones. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the Pro versions of the iPhone and the Samsung models of the Ultra category dominate over the cheaper ones,” summarizes the head of the Telia phone category.

More information:

Audrius Stasiulaitis

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