Counterpoint: US smartphone shipments to grow 8% year-on-year in Q4 2023

According to Counterpoint, U.S. smartphone shipments grew 8% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2023. This was mainly due to a sharp rebound in Apple sales in 2023 after factory shutdowns and production disruptions caused by the pandemic in 2022. Android phone sales also declined during the same period due to a drop in demand for phones under $300.

"The fourth quarter is typically very important for Apple given the strong demand for iPhones during the holiday sales period," said Jeff Fieldhack, North American research director at Counterpoint. "In 2023, Apple's entry into the prepaid market with its N-2 or N-3 devices, selling the iPhone 12 or iPhone 11 at very low prices, also helped it expand its market share."

"While premium handset sales slowed in the fourth quarter, units under $300 saw the largest declines," said Maurice Klaehne, senior analyst. "The shift from prepaid to postpaid continues to be strong, with strong net growth from cable operators such as Comcast's Xfinity Mobile and Charter Communications' Spectrum Mobile. Prepaid upgrade eligibility was extended from 90 days to 365 days. All of these factors contributed to a decline in demand for prepaid smartphones."

Commenting on operator earnings and outlook, Associate Director Hanish Bhatia said: “Operators continue to report lower upgrade rates due to longer holding periods. However, total postpaid revenue for the Big Three grew 5% year-on-year, partly boosted by sales of premium devices. Operator revenues were largely driven by an increase in service revenues as consumers shifted to more premium plans and prices of traditional plans increased. The trend of bundling multiple products and services to help sales is on the rise and we will see more of this in 2024.”