Samsung’s Galaxy S5 failed to displace Apple’s ageing iPhone 5s as the best-selling smartphone in the weeks after its launch, according to a report by research house Counterpoint.

While the South Korean handset giant’s latest flagship was expected to displace Apple’s product following its debut, the poll found that in May 2014 it took second spot – but was “still a quite distant number two in terms of (sell through) unit sales”.

An earlier report indicated that Samsung had seen some success luring Apple customers in key European markets, although some territories are proving harder to crack than others.

More positively for Samsung, its older Galaxy S4 and Note 3 took third and fourth spots, with two other lower-ranked smartphones meaning it has five devices in the top ten.

Apple saw declining shipments for the iPhone 5c, as the company continued to clear excess inventory.

Also performing well was Xiaomi, which continued to see its devices perform well primarily in China, as well as bolstering its international distribution. However, Counterpoint said that two models – Mi 3 and Redmi – are reaching their peak and rivals are “pushing out similar high-specced products at aggressive price points”.

Between them, these three vendors had the top ten locked out, with Sony’s Xperia Z1, Motorola’s Moto G, Huawei’s Honor 3G and LG’s G2 bubbling under. The company also said it expects to see Nokia X climbing the chart.

Counterpoint also noted that there were three phablets on the list, which “reflects the ongoing trend of larger displays”.

The company said its research is based on a channel survey conducted across 35 countries.