Google has been putting a lot of work into improving the Pixel phones and establishing itself better in the market, but its market shares in comparison to Apple and Samsung have generally remained small. However, the company has made some noticeable hardware upgrades for the Pixel series this year and is slowly gaining traction, according to new reports. This upward trend could be attributed to the inclusion of AI-powered features and a more competitive pricing approach.
New research reveals the Pixel 9 Pro XL is one of the best-selling premium phones in Q3 2024
In the past, Google has struggled to grab more market share due to the intense competition in the industry, especially from Samsung and Apple, but that seems to be changing with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. According to Counterpoint's Research's Q3 US smartphone market share report that keeps track of the phones shipped to retailers and distributors, Apple took the lead by grabbing 54 percent share for all the phones shipped, 22 percent by Samsung, and 13 percent by Motorola.
Although Google accounted for only 4 percent of phones shipped to US distributors in the quarter, Counterpoint did explain the reason for this performance and pointed out that the Pixel 9 series came out earlier than its usual launch window. While this part of the report may have let down some of the followers, there is good news for Google's flagship phones, as the Pixel 9 Pro XL was one of the top ten best-selling premium phones in Q3 2024. The smartphones that were priced at $800 and above were considered in the list.
While Google's Pixel series occasionally made it to the top ten list, it was not part of the list last year, so making a comeback suggests growing consumer interest and improved traction. The reason for making it to the top-selling premium phones could also be attributed to the earlier launch of the series, which might have given it a significant boost in terms of the more time it got to establish itself.
Now, it is difficult to compare it with its predecessor because the Pixel 8 series had only two phones, while the Pixel 9 offered an array of devices, which makes it hard to assess the two in terms of performance. Nonetheless, Google did pivot in a different direction with the Pixel 9 lineup and was able to mark its position as one of the top-selling premium phones with its Pixel 9 Pro XL. Google continues to evolve and aggressively work on improving its devices, and we could see it gaining more traction with its ongoing initiatives and its AI-driven approach.
