Wave7.2 Survey of Smartphone Sales, March 27-April 1
• The Wave7.2 survey of 56 U.S. carrier stores indicates continued dominance by Apple and Samsung of the U.S. smartphone market. A table with complete results of the March 27-April 1 survey is below and beneath that is a table with results of the February 11-12 survey. LG continues to be the leading viable alternative OEM, with ~10% sales share at all carriers. Other OEMs lag in low single digits, although Motorola overindexes at Verizon due to promotions of Droid devices.
• Results of a survey of 500 U.S. consumers by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) who purchased a smartphone during 4Q14 are provided for sake of comparison. That survey was conducted between December 27 and January 5.
• Overall, Samsung appears to have gained some ground versus Apple, particularly at T-Mobile and AT&T, as the newness of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus wears off. Also, reps say that Samsung has been benefiting from having a wide range of devices, while Apple has much less diversity.
• Galaxy S 6 and HTC One M9 launch: The Galaxy S 6 launch (in stores on April 10) is generally said to have much “buzz,” with customers often asking about the Galaxy S 6. Many reps said that the pending GS6 launch has impacted Galaxy S 5 sales, although others were unsure of impact. An AT&T rep in Providence said that the GS6 launch has been “killing Galaxy sales.” However, few customers are asking about the HTC One M9. Both are being promoted heavily on carrier websites, but efforts to build awareness for the GS6 are enormous and include a massive “Next Big Thing” TV ad campaign, huge “takeover” GS6 signage in front of some Best Buy stores, and GS6 “sandwich signs” in front of T-Mobile stores.
• GS6 sales to be buoyed by special efforts: All national carriers are making extraordinary efforts to promote the GS6, including Sprint’s special $80 plan for the GS6, Verizon’s new $200 pitch for the GS6 ($100 for smartphone trade-in plus $100 for port-in; offer also applies to the M9), AT&T’s bundles of the GS6 with Samsung tablets and smartwatches, and T-Mobile’s offer of a free year of Netflix with GS6 purchase.
Note: Survey was conducted on March 26-April 1. Reps were interviewed by telephone at 16 Verizon stores, 16 AT&T stores, 12 Sprint stores, and 12 T-Mobile stores.
Findings by OEM from checks:
– Apple: The share of older iPhones fell off in March, as reps say that the memory (8GB) with the 5C is inadequate and that the limited price difference between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S (~$4/month on Edge). Some reps commented that the older iPhones are purchased for kids. With high iOS8 memory requirements, some reps now say that 64GB and 16GB iPhone sales are comparable. Some AT&T reps say that 64GB sales lead, but one T-Mobile rep said that his store did not even stock 64GB iPhones until February.
– Samsung: Reps frequently commented about the strength of sales of the GS5, the Note 4 and the Note Edge. GS5 sales have been impacted by the pending GS6 launch, but the carriers have cut GS5 pricing (AT&T cut it twice) in an effort to manage inventory. One T-Mobile rep said that the GS6 left all other devices behind in a performance test done at his store. Many reps are urging preorders of the GS6.
– LG: Multiple AT&T reps commented that the LG G3 is doing well and one Sprint rep volunteered that LG is “underrated,” adding that LG smartphones outperform. Some T-Mobile reps commented about solid sales of the $150 LG Optimus L90.
– HTC: Even at Sprint, traditionally a solid outlet for HTC, there was very little commentary about HTC. A Sprint rep commented that his store is no longer getting new HTC One M8 units.
– Motorola: Multiple reps commented that Motorola was not available at their store, sometimes even including the Nexus 6, which is made by Motorola. There was no commentary about the Moto X. Motorola had 6% share at Verizon thanks to Droid promotions. Some Verizon reps pitch Droids and there is store signage for the Droid Turbo. Some reps commented that the Nexus 6 is an “okay” seller.
– Sony: “Other” registered 3% share at T-Mobile and several reps commented that Sony comprises most of this share. One Missouri rep proudly stated that he owns a Sony Xperia device and said that he recommends Sony to his customers. Sony was not mentioned by Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint reps.
– Alcatel: Two T-Mobile reps commented that Alcatel share is in the low single digits. Alcatel devices are not sold by other national carriers.
– ZTE: The ZTE ZMAX phablet is sold by T-Mobile, but there were no mentions of it. Reps were observed pitching the device during 1Q15 at Cricket stores.
– Pantech: There were very few mentions of Pantech, except that one Verizon dealer in Seattle claimed that Pantech sales in March may have exceeded 10% of all sales at his store.
– Kyocera: An AT&T dealer in Cheyenne commented that the Kyocera Duraforce sold decently. There were no other mentions of Kyocera.
– Sharp: The Sharp Aquos is sold by Sprint and a few reps commented that March sales were in the low single digits at their store.
– BlackBerry: There were very few mentions of BlackBerry. However, a Tampa AT&T rep estimated 1% share for BlackBerry at his store.
The Wave7.1 Survey of 55 U.S. Carrier Stores, Conducted on February 11-12
Brand CIRP U.S. Share, 4Q14 Verizon, 2/15 AT&T, 2/15 Sprint, 2/15 T-Mobile, 2/15
Apple 50% 56% 66% 51% 54%
iPhone 6 – 33% 40% 31% 32%
iPhone 6 Plus – 12% 17% 14% 19%
Other iPhones – 11% 9% 6% 3%
Samsung 26% 30% 24% 33% 29%
Galaxy S 5 – 14% 12% 18% 13%
Note 4 – 10% 9% 12% 13%
Other Samsung – 6% 3% 3% 3%
LG 11% 8% 8% 12% 13%
Motorola 4% 4% 1% 0% 1%
HTC 2% 1% 1% 6% 2%
Nokia 2% 0% 0% 0% 1%
Other 1% 0% 0% 1% 1%
Note: Survey was conducted on February 11-12. Reps were interviewed by telephone at 16 Verizon stores, 16 AT&T stores, 14 Sprint stores, and 9 T-Mobile stores.