iPhone 5s is best-selling smartphone at US carriers, 5c is third best

Christmas 2013 (iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, Apple Store 001)

According to research by Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley, the iPhone 5s has been the top-selling smartphone at the four major US carriers for the past 3 months. That’s not too surprising, considering new iPhones usually fair well right after launch.

But what did surprise me was the fact that the iPhone 5c has also been in the top 3 selling smartphones at AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile since September. You know, the same handset that Apple has reportedly been cutting production for due to poor sales…

Here’s Walkley’s note to investors, relayed by AppleInsider:

“Before the iPhone 5s and 5c’s release, Apple, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, Sony, and Motorola all had handsets enjoying top-three sales at at least one of America’s big four carriers. Apple’s September announcement pushed all but Samsung out of the picture and relegated the South Korean conglomerate’s Galaxy S4 to the runner-up position across the board.

Apple has maintained a significant edge outside of the U.S. as well, even before the long-anticipated launch of the company’s devices on China Mobile, the world’s largest wireless carrier. The iPhone 5s was “by far the top selling smartphone…at most channels where the smartphone launched globally,” Walkley notes.”

And here’s a breakdown of the data from Walkley’s report:

carriersales

Looking at the chart, you can see that the iPhone 5c was actually the second most popular smartphone at Sprint directly following its launch, and at AT&T for at least a month afterwards. And Samsung’s Galaxy S4 continues to sell well nearly 9 months after release.

For me, it’ll be interesting to see these numbers again in February. Apple only recently caught up with demand on the iPhone 5s, and its mobile products typically do well during the holidays. Also, various carriers and retailers are running deals on it and the iPhone 5c.