Three out of five phones available from US prepaid operators in Q2 were iPhones, a figure which could climb further if Apple releases a budget model at an upcoming launch event, analyst company GlobalData revealed.

Senior analyst Anisha Bhatia explained financing options from third-party companies have driven adoption of iPhones in prepaid by allowing more consumers to buy the costly devices.

Apple’s 60 per cent share on prepaid shelves was up from 50 per cent in Q2 2017. Data from GlobalData’s handset pricing and promotions tracker showed the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE were the most commonly offered, followed by the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7. Notably, even the top tier iPhone X made inroads at mid-size and small, price-sensitive prepaid operators.

Dominant prepaid brands including Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless and Metro PCS offered the most iPhone options, with more memory and color variations. Smaller, budget players carried models with less memory, maxing out at 64GB for newer models including the iPhone 8 and X, and 32GB for older editions.

Avi Greengart, research director at GlobalData, said Apple will gain even more ground if it launches a new model which looks like the iPhone X, but carries a lower price tag.

The iPhone’s growing presence in prepaid allowed it to capitalise on a previously neglected market segment to grow sales and margins, and is putting pressure on high-end rivals including Samsung and LG to do the same, Bhatia said.

But, she added, Apple’s rise doesn’t necessarily mean the end for entry-level devices: “Budget smartphones will continue to remain popular in prepaid, especially for the credit-strapped customer.”