Almost 90% of us are still loyal to Apple when upgrading our iPhones, here's why

Apple iPhones are synonymous with the smartphone industry, carving a far-reaching and seemingly never-ending path for itself in a market that already had seminal products like the Blackberry. But Apple ditched the buttons, enlarged the screen, and created an app store system that revolutionized the game. Now, almost two decades later, the Californian tech company still reigns supreme with a staggering amount of us choosing to go back again and again. Apple has kept 89% of its consumer base in the United States, and although this number is technically a 5% decrease from 2023, that’s still a massive amount of retention, and we expect it to hold steady with the upcoming iPhone 17 release. The type of loyalty that Apple holds with its consumers is completely unmatched in the industry, with direct competitor Samsung peaking at 76% retention between 2021 and 2025. Apple also monopolizes over half of the smartphone market in the United States, according to the CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners), as reported by GSMArena, and although it just seems a given, it’s worth questioning why. The fact Apple is born and bred American certainly doesn’t hurt, and with so many popular apps running exclusively on the iOS system, such as Procreate for digital artists, as well as a ginormous gaming library thanks to Apple Arcade, the ease with which iPhones slot into our lives likely plays a huge part in why we keep going back. Continue reading Almost 90% of us are still loyal to Apple when upgrading our iPhones, here's why MORE FROM POCKET TACTICS: Best portable gaming consoles, Best gaming phones, Best Android phones

May 23, 2025 - 03:20

Almost 90% of us are still loyal to Apple when upgrading our iPhones, here's why

Apple iPhones are synonymous with the smartphone industry, carving a far-reaching and seemingly never-ending path for itself in a market that already had seminal products like the Blackberry. But Apple ditched the buttons, enlarged the screen, and created an app store system that revolutionized the game. Now, almost two decades later, the Californian tech company still reigns supreme with a staggering amount of us choosing to go back again and again.

Apple has kept 89% of its consumer base in the United States, and although this number is technically a 5% decrease from 2023, that’s still a massive amount of retention, and we expect it to hold steady with the upcoming iPhone 17 release. The type of loyalty that Apple holds with its consumers is completely unmatched in the industry, with direct competitor Samsung peaking at 76% retention between 2021 and 2025.

Apple also monopolizes over half of the smartphone market in the United States, according to the CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners), as reported by GSMArena, and although it just seems a given, it’s worth questioning why. The fact Apple is born and bred American certainly doesn’t hurt, and with so many popular apps running exclusively on the iOS system, such as Procreate for digital artists, as well as a ginormous gaming library thanks to Apple Arcade, the ease with which iPhones slot into our lives likely plays a huge part in why we keep going back.

Continue reading Almost 90% of us are still loyal to Apple when upgrading our iPhones, here's why

MORE FROM POCKET TACTICS: Best portable gaming consoles, Best gaming phones, Best Android phones