The iPhone has won over casual users. Android flagships must win over enthusiasts to survive.

The iPhone is becoming the “default” phone for most people around the world. The future of Android flagships looks grim in comparison.

During a press conference addressing the recent surge of car thefts in New York City in May, Mayor Eric Adams urged citizens to buy AirTags for their cars. When told by a reporter that AirTags do not work with Android phones, Adams responded, "Why would anyone have [an Android phone]?" His ignorant response — there are over 130 million Android users in the U.S., according to the most recent research — was only met with a bit of backlash, mostly on Twitter and a couple Android sites. The mayor of one of the biggest cities in America giving ridiculous advice and dismissing valid concerns wasn't that big of a deal because many Americans felt the same way.

The iPhone is so dominant in America that it's considered the default best phone. In American culture, there are memes mocking Android users, news reports of teens feeling left out at school if they're on an Android, and people being left off family group chats if they're not on iMessage. Android phones are considered second-grade devices to many Americans.

But as mentioned earlier, there are, in fact, lots of Android users in America. But at the risk of overgeneralizing, we can deduce by looking at flagship phone sales and anecdotes that American Android users tend to fall into two groups: mobile enthusiasts (phone nerds, like people who frequent XDA forums) or those on a tighter budget. But Android could use that to its advantage if it wants to succeed at a similar level as Apple has.

Most average Americans with means or disposable income default to the iPhone, including a whopping 87% of American teens from 2021 research. The iPhone enjoys a similar dominant status throughout Western Europe, to no one's surprise. It's easy to assume the iPhone wouldn't be as dominant in Asia because it's home to three countries — China, South Korea, and Japan — with major conglomerates that make their own smartphones.

But actually, the iPhone has an even higher market share in Japan than in America, and the iPhone is gaining stream in China and South Korea as well, a surge led by millennials and Gen Z. While research figures still have Huawei and Samsung sitting at the top of the market share in China and South Korean, respectively, the reality is those figures are propped up by mid-range or budget devices used by the elderly or lower-income populations. Among young, well-to-do Chinese and Koreans in major cities, the iPhone has become the phone of choice. I went to Beijing, Shanghai, and Seoul last month, and noticed mostly iPhones in the hands of people who populate trendy areas. Virtually every influencer I've seen in Asia carry an iPhone. In fact, the Korean Herald wrote a story recently on the same trend. More young Koreans are choosing the iPhone over the Galaxy. In fact, young people choosing iPhone appears to be the case worldwide, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report.

Android phones are considered second-grade devices to many Americans.

Recent sales figures provide further evidence. Recent Counterpoint research shows phone sales have fallen year-over-year for the third straight year, with only Apple seeing meaningful growth. Another report by Canalys reported that, of the top 15 flagship phones sold worldwide in Q1 of 2023, the iPhones took seven spots, including the first four.

This all paints a really grim picture for Android flagships, which are bending over backwards fighting each other for scraps of the global market share. If Samsung, Huawei, and Oppo can't even win their home countries' market share, what hope is there globally? This makes me, a mobile enthusiast who prefers Android phones because they push hardware innovation at a faster pace, concerned for the future. Ultimately, these companies are running a business, and if no one is buying flagship Android phones, then they'll eventually stop making them, which will bring new designs and innovation to a halt.

If your answer to how Android bands can make a comeback is for them to "make better phones," then you haven't been paying attention to the phone scene. Android flagships have the best cameras and displays, the former by a significant amount. Android brands also offer comparatively better value than iPhones; Chinese brands often include screen protectors and cases and chargers with their flagships, while everything is a separate purchase with iPhones. But people still choose to buy iPhones anyway due to a myriad of factors that go beyond it being a "better phone."

Apple is a status symbol among some people. In Asian cultures, where there's a more superficial emphasis on brand names, the Apple logo alone is a selling point. My former XDA colleague Sumukh Rao tweeted the following.

This isn't the first time I've heard an Indian colleague complain that people in India see using iPhones as a social status signifier. And this mentality is also true in China and the U.S. There's a viral meme on TikTok right now in which young women are asked, "he's a 10, but he uses an Android," and the women would recoil and then answer, "he drops to a 4." My friend, a Pixel user, says he's experienced this in the online dating scene, too. He said when they moved the chat from the app over to texting, a couple of women pointed out that he used Android.

Of course, not all iPhone users are on it for superficial reasons. Some genuinely like Apple's products and services, and the company does a very good job of locking users in once they dive into the walled garden. I think the Apple Watch is the best smartwatch by a significant margin, but it only works with an iPhone. The AirPods Pro are also one of the top two or three best earbuds I've tested, and they too, play much nicer with iPhones. The synergy between Apple hardware and software is unmatched in the consumer tech space right now, and it helps to convince the average consumer to just stick with all Apple products.

I'm not sure if there's anything Android brands can do to combat Apple's reputation as a status symbol. Steve Jobs is too iconic, and the Apple branding is too well entrenched. Android brands can try to match Apple's ecosystem, and some brands such as Samsung and Huawei have built good ones, but it's hard for these brands to lock their consumers in the way Apple can, partly because they don't move enough units and also because Android users are much more likely to push back against restrictions. After all, the core idea of Android is that it's open source. To make matters worse, there are politics at play. The best smartphone hardware over the past few years has undeniably come from Chinese phone brands, but there are chunks of people who would never use Chinese phones, partially because of not wanting to be associated with the Chinese government and also because they're tougher to get outside the country.

Honestly, I don't see Android phone brands ever matching Apple in brand cachet or ecosystem. The only option for Android flagships to survive is to pivot even harder toward power users and enthusiasts with innovative, niche products. This means focusing on foldable, camera-centric phones at a greater scale. The likes of Samsung and Xiaomi should consider releasing lower-priced versions of foldable phones. Give it a plastic/rubber frame and older SoC if you need to, but a Galaxy Fold FE at $799 could easily entice users to jump on board. Android brands should also try more form factors, maybe a real gaming phone with buttons and joystick built into the body; or a dual-screen phone; or one with a swivel screen (yes, I am aware Microsoft and LG released those exact devices and didn't sell, but Microsoft and LG also have/had terrible Android software with poor marketing. Maybe if Google or Samsung try them they'd fare better).

Whatever the case, I think Samsung and Xiaomi trying to release base-level flagships like the Galaxy S23 and Xiaomi 13 and trying to compete directly against Apple is a lost cause. The Android phones still garnering buzz and some sales are the top-tier Ultras with Leica-branded cameras or phones that fold with stylus support.

Of course, none of this may work. I have no experience running a company or selling products. But whatever the case, the iPhone is slowly winning the whole mobile war, and Android brands have got to try something different before it's too late.

Hello, I'm a senior editor at XDA, covering mostly mobile hardware. I've been covering the mobile scene for eight years, during which I've done everything from attend Apple launch events in Cupertino, cover Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, to visiting smartphone manufacturing lines in Shenzhen and Seoul. Before covering tech, I was a "traditional" journalist, writing features in print newspapers — remember those? — and magazines for outlets such as the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Wall Street Journal, South China Morning Post, among others. On the side, I also run a tech review YouTube channel, Youtube.com/bensgadgetreviews