The smartphone market is currently going through a slump. All major manufacturers have seen a notable decline in their shipments in Q1 2023. This is primarily due to the economic downturn and high inflation across the world. Amidst all this though, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has managed to shine bright and was the most popular flagship Android smartphone in the first quarter of the year.

As per Canalys (via Android Authority), the high-end smartphone market ($500+) grew by 4.7% YoY in Q1 2023. This was also the first time the shipment of premium phones made up one-third of all smartphones sold, with a market share of 31%.

While the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was the highest-selling flagship Android phone in Q1 2023, it only came in fifth. Its commendable performance can be attributed to the lineup launching during the said quarter. Unsurprisingly, Apple again dominated the list of popular premium smartphones sold, with the first four positions taken by iPhones. And in the top 10 list, six were iPhones, while the remaining four devices were from Samsung.

The Xiaomi 13 (13th) and the Huawei Mate 50 (14th) were among the only non-Samsung or Apple phones in the top 15.

Apple's $1,099+ iPhone 14 Pro Max was the most popular, followed by the $999 iPhone 14 Pro. The non-Pro iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 came in third and fourth, respectively. Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra came in fifth, with the iPhone 14 Plus, Galaxy S23, iPhone 12, S23+, and Galaxy Z Flip 4 rounded up the top 10.

It is surprising to see the Galaxy Z Flip 4 making it to the list, but this potentially indicates that flip-style foldables are ready to go mainstream if priced right. This bodes well for Samsung, which is gearing up to announce the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 in Q3 2023. Before that, though, the company is bracing for a tough Q2 as it expects smartphone shipments to decline further.