Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone range made a successful debut in the US, with the Galaxy S10 series selling 16 per cent more units in its first two weeks on sale than for the same period of Galaxy S9, Counterpoint Research said.

The premium Galaxy S10 Plus accounted for half of the range’s sales. The lower-spec Galaxy S10e registered the least sales of the three models available, but is still powering the boost in unit volumes: combined sales of S10 Plus and S10 were similar to S9 Plus and S9, the analyst company announced.

Jeff Fieldhack, research director, said: “The US is a key market for Samsung as this is where the majority of its premium smartphones are sold. The S10e is not cannibalising older models like the S8 or the S9. It is actually helping Samsung gain share,” said

The company also suggested the S10 series may help Samsung regain leadership of the US smartphone market from Apple for the first time since June 2017. A key factor will be whether it triggered Apple users to switch to Android, or if it is mainly finding a home with upgrading Samsung owners.

Counterpoint Research’s findings bear out a prediction by components suppliers that first year sales of the Galaxy S10 series would come in ahead of the Galaxy S9 range.