According to the published report from our Wireless Smartphone Strategies (WSS) services: North America Smartphone Vendor & OS Market Share by Country : Q3 2016, US smartphone shipment grew +6% YoY this quarter, mainly driven by healthy demand of Android smartphones and newly launched iPhone 7 / 7 Plus.

Apple regained No. 1 position with 33% volume share, followed by Samsung (24%) and LG (16%). Two Chinese vendors ZTE and TCL-Alcatel remain in the top 5 list, with 9% and 8% market share respectively.

ZTE has solidified its position as the 4th largest smartphone brand in USA; however its closest rival, TCL-Alcatel, has moved within striking distance of ZTE with only 1% less share. Still, ZTE is benefiting from strong demand in the prepaid segment, particularly with AT&T’s Cricket, T-Mobile’s MetroPCS, and Tracfone, and is also beginning to target the online segment. 

Meanwhile, TCL-Alcatel saw its volumes improve by a spectacular +232% annually in the third quarter of 2016 in USA . TCL-Alcatel made big progress with Tracfone this quarter by providing a number of cost-effective Android devices. In addition, it has started to attack unlocked segment.

However, we caution that the competition in the entry- and mid-tier segments is intense as Samsung, LG, Motorola and others battle for share in this space.

WSS clients please click here to access the full report.