The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge set off to a strong start and continued to see resounding success, even managing to outsell Apple's flagship smartphones.
Apple enjoys great brand loyalty and its devices are typically in high demand, regardless of whether they actually bring truly innovative features or just a few minor improvements over the previous iteration.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, however, outsold both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in the United States, according to data from market research firm Kantar Worldpanel.
This means that the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge climbed to the top spot, dethroning the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and confirming that Apple is seeing a decline in sales.
"[I]n the three months ending May 2016, Samsung accounted for 37 percent of smartphone sales and Apple 29 percent," Kantar reports.
A closer look at the numbers, meanwhile, reveals tight competition between the two archrivals' flagships. The Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge accounted for 16 percent of sales, while the iPhone 6s/6s Plus followed closely with 14.6 percent.
Kantar further highlights that while just 5 percent of Samsung purchases were made by customers shifting from the Apple camp, as much as 14 percent of Apple purchases came from customers switching from Samsung.
Nevertheless, in both Samsung's and Apple's case, most sales came from those "repurchasing and upgrading within their preferred brand."
When it comes to brand loyalty plans for the future, 88 percent of current Apple fanboys and 86 percent of Samsung fans plan to stay loyal to their preferred brand.
Both Apple and Samsung continue to enjoy great popularity in the U.S. and the UK, dominating the entire top 10 list of smartphones sold. In other words, although Apple lost its top position to Samsung, it's still going strong and staying ahead of other competitors.
It's also worth pointing out that the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus launched last fall, several months before the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. On the other hand, Apple always topped U.S. sales regardless of when the latest Galaxy flagship arrived, at least up until now.
It's still a tight race between the two, but, as Kantar points out, Apple and Samsung should be more worried about competing against growing brands such as Xiaomi and Huawei rather than each other.
Keeping things just between Apple and Samsung, however, which one do you prefer? If you own one of their latest flagships, is it the Galaxy S7/S7 edge or the iPhone 6s/6s Plus?
