Samsung and Apple dominate U.S. phone sales with over 90% of postpaid market

When it comes to buying a new phone these days, consumers arguably have more choices than ever when it comes to choosing which brand to buy. Yet, the stats show that if you're buying a smartphone in the U.S., you're most likely going to buy one from Apple or Samsung.

Recently, analysis firm Wave7 Research published its findings after completing a survey with the top four carriers in the U.S. In the month of December 2019, the results revealed that over 90% of the time phones sold through the carrier were from either Apple or Samsung.

At AT&T stores, sales from the two juggernaut brands totaled 95%, while at Verizon and Sprint it was slightly less with 94% of sales. That leaves T-Mobile to bring up the rear with sales of Apple and Samsung phones only accounting for 91% of its phone sales.

The survey also revealed that Google's Pixel lineup of phones amounted to 2-4% of sales overall among the four major carriers, and OnePlus came in slightly lower with 2.3% in sales.

The reason these metrics are so important is that analysts say that 85-90% of phones sold on postpaid plans in the U.S. are sold through carriers — making it a good indicator of what is happening at the premium end of the market.

However, when it comes to prepaid phone sales, the story is a little different. That has to do with the fact that many prepaid customers don't often buy phones at the high-end of the market costing close to $1000 or more.

For example, at Boost the top four phones sold were still either an iPhone or Samsung phone, but the fifth most popular was the LG Stylo 5. While at Metro by T-Mobile, Wave7 reports that Samsung, LG, and Motorola are the top sellers. Regardless, prepaid customers only make up a fraction of the market when compared to postpaid subscribers.