Apple does not lead smartphones by unit volume, but it leads by profit, and the gap widened after Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 crisis.
According to a report from BMO Capital Markets analyst Tim Long on industry operating profits, Apple alone took 103.6% of smartphone profits in fiscal Q3 2016. How can a share exceed 100%? Other makers lost money, so Apple’s profit was larger than the industry total. Long says Apple had about 90% a year earlier; Samsung’s pain helped Apple’s share jump roughly 15 points.
Samsung managed only 0.9% of smartphone profit that quarter. LG and HTC also lost money. By units, Samsung still led with 21.7% share, followed by Apple at 13.2% and Huawei at 9.7%. BMO puts total smartphone shipments at 346 million, up 2.1% year over year.
