Apple captured more wholesale smartphone revenue in Q4 2017 than the rest of its rivals combined, even as the industry total climbed to an all-time high of $120.2 billion, Strategy Analytics announced.

The iPhone giant walked away from the holiday period with a record 51 per cent of global wholesale smartphone revenue (see chart below, click to enlarge), or $61.4 billion.

Those figures were up from a 48.5 per cent share on $51 billion in revenue in the same quarter a year earlier, a change Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston attributed to “solid demand for its premium X model” and an average selling price (ASP) nearly three times higher than the industry.

During its recent earnings call, Apple reported the ASP of its iPhone grew more than $100 year-on-year to $796 in the quarter.

The figures prompted Mawston to label Apple iPhone an “incredible money-making machine”.

For comparison, the rest of the smartphone market, including major competitors Samsung and Huawei, brought in a collective $58.8 billion in wholesale revenue during Q4. Samsung stood in second place on wholesale revenue of $18.9 billion and Huawei third ($8.4 billion). In stark contrast to Apple, Samsung and Huawei’s wholesale ASPs both remained below $300, at $254 and $205 respectively.

Strategy Analytics director Woody Oh noted Huawei can grow its worldwide pricing and revenues going forward if it can grab additional share in the US market.

The company is struggling to overcome anti-China political fears to gain a spot on US operator shelves.