Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Breaks into Top 10 Best-Selling Smartphones, Driven by AI Features

The Galaxy S24 Ultra went where no other Android flagship has gone in years

Summary The Galaxy S24 Ultra became the first Samsung flagship in six years to enter the top 10 sales. Samsung shipped 222.9M phones in 2024, just behind Apple's 225.9M units globally. The global average smartphone price rose to $324, with Samsung's ASP at $299 and Apple's over $900. Samsung has been making some of the best Android phones for years, but its flagships haven't consistently cracked the list of best-selling smartphones -- until recently. That started to change in Q3 2024 when the Galaxy S24 secured the last spot on the best-sellers list. Now that 2024 has wrapped up, the full-year results are in, and it's good news for Samsung. Related If you skipped the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the S24 Ultra is more attractive at its new price Under $1,000 is a great deal Posts According to the latest data from Canalys, Apple still dominates the smartphone market with the iPhone 15 claiming the top spot as the best-selling phone of 2024. However, for the first time in six years, a Samsung Galaxy flagship has made it into the top 10. The Galaxy S24 Ultra secured ninth place on the list of best-selling phones globally. The report credits Samsung's continued focus on AI features as a key driver behind the S24 Ultra's strong sales. And, with the launch of the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung seems to be doubling down on this strategy with even more AI-powered features in the newly launched lineup. Smartphone sales are finally getting back to their pre-pandemic pace Source: Canalys Interestingly, the Galaxy S24 Ultra wasn't the only Samsung device to make the list. The company's budget-friendly Galaxy A15 and its 5G variant also ranked among the best-selling phones of 2024 -- and they even outperformed the Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of sales. Overall, Samsung shipped 222.9 million smartphones last year, just shy of Apple's 225.9 million units. Besides Samsung and Apple, other Android OEMs like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo also saw their sales grow in 2024, although none of their models made it into the top 10. Xiaomi had an especially strong year, with 15% annual growth, shipping over 168 million smartphones globally. According to the report, overall smartphone sales grew by 7% year-over-year, signaling that the market is finally bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels. Adding more context, Counterpoint Research reports that the average selling price (ASP) of smartphones globally rose from $287 to $324 in 2024. For Apple, the ASP surpassed $900 for the first time, while Samsung's ASP stood at $299. This trend shows that consumers are increasingly willing to invest in higher-end smartphones, thanks to flagship models like the Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9, which offer longer software support, powerful chipsets, and advanced AI features. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra $1200 $1300 Save $100 It's not an overhaul by any means, but even small changes like (finally) swapping back to a flat touchscreen and seven years of system updates help the Galaxy S24 Ultra stand apart from its predecessors. Galaxy AI's suite of features are front and center, as well as Google's latest utilities like Circle to Search, and this AI craze even brings its magic to the Ultra's cameras for after-the-fact super slo-mo. $1300 at Amazon $1300 at Best Buy $1200 at Samsung

After a six-year hiatus, a Samsung Galaxy flagship has cracked the best-sellers list

The iPhone 15 was the best-selling phone overall, while the Galaxy A15 5G was the best-selling Android device. Although Samsung has successfully landed one or more spots in the top 10 best-selling phones of the year list several times in the last few years, the company's flagship Galaxy S series devices haven't cracked the list since 2018. Apple's latest iPhones usually dominate the list alongside a few affordable Galaxy A series models, but a Samsung Galaxy S series device has finally made the list in 2024. According to Counterpoint Research, the Galaxy S24 Ultra was the seventh best-selling phone in 2024 and the only Android flagship to make the cut. The research firm attributes the growth in Samsung's flagship sales to the Galaxy AI features that debuted with the Galaxy S24 series, stating that "Samsung's emphasis on these innovative features has resulted in strong market performance and a first-mover advantage." As expected, Apple's iPhone 15 lineup dominated the list, with the base iPhone 15 claiming the top spot. The iPhone 15 Pro Max took second place, and the iPhone 15 Pro came in third. The Galaxy A15 5G took the fourth spot and was the best-selling Android phone of the year. Interestingly, despite going on sale towards the end of the third quarter, the iPhone 16 Pro outsold the Galaxy S24 Ultra and grabbed fifth place. The 4G variant of the Galaxy A15 took sixth place, followed by the Galaxy S24 Ultra, iPhone 14, iPhone 16 Pro, and Galaxy A05. Whether Samsung can replicate these results with its latest Galaxy S25 Ultra remains to be seen. The device brings marginal improvements over last year's model, and while it has received some new GenAI capabilities, that may not be enough to drive sales this time around.