Apple takes half of all phone sales money worldwide in Q3

Apple earned about half of all the money spent on smartphones worldwide in the third quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. The firm says it was Apple's highest-ever share for a third quarter. Samsung came second with 19% of global phone revenue.

The numbers

Behind Samsung, Xiaomi had 6% of revenue, OPPO 5% and vivo 4%. The average iPhone sold for $1,031. That is a record and up 19% from a year earlier.

Apple did not sell many more phones. Shipments were nearly flat. The gain came from price. Samsung still ships more phones, with 22% of global shipments to Apple's 21%, but that lead narrowed slightly.

Why prices rose

Counterpoint's Tarun Pathak says Apple has the pricing power to absorb rising memory costs and pass them on to buyers with minimal impact on demand. Memory is the chip that stores your photos and apps. He pointed to three reasons for the higher average price:

• Higher launch prices for the iPhone 18 Pro series
• No base iPhone 18 at launch
• Price increases on older models in September

The report does not say how much more phones will cost in the coming months, or when a base iPhone 18 might arrive. It also does not say whether other brands will raise prices the same way. For now, shoppers should expect to pay more for a new iPhone, and for older models too.