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The U.S. Ranked Third in Smartphone Average Selling Price in 2023—not necessarily today

The U.S. was third in TechInsights’ 2023 smartphone wholesale ASP comparison. A 2024 forecast and incomplete public 2026 rankings make the date essential.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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The United States ranked third in smartphone average selling price (ASP) in TechInsights’ 2023 comparison, behind South Korea and Japan. That is a historical wholesale-market estimate, not a current ranking of what shoppers pay. The United Kingdom was forecast to move into third place in 2024, and TechInsights’ latest public summary confirms South Korea and Japan remain the top two but does not disclose the full 2026 ranking.

What smartphone average selling price measures

Average selling price is generally calculated as total smartphone wholesale revenue divided by the number of smartphone units sold. TechInsights describes its figures as global smartphone wholesale ASP. Its public forecast page covers 88 countries from 2012 through 2029: TechInsights’ global smartphone revenues and ASP forecasts.

ASP reflects the mix of phones sold in a market as well as their prices. A market’s average can rise when premium models take a larger share of sales, even if the prices of individual models do not change. It is not the advertised retail price of a typical phone, the median price paid by a household, or the average price of flagship models.

Wholesale ASP also does not directly show a shopper’s final cost after carrier subsidies, trade-in credits, installment plans, discounts, or taxes. It cannot, by itself, establish which country has the most expensive phones at checkout or where phones are least affordable relative to income.

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How the reported ranking changes by year

Position Market Period What the figure represents
1 South Korea 2023 Historical estimate reported from TechInsights data
2 Japan 2023 Historical estimate reported from TechInsights data
3 United States 2023 Historical estimate reported from TechInsights data
Forecast third United Kingdom 2024 Forecast to overtake the U.S.; not a confirmed outcome in the cited reporting

The 2023 top-three order and the 2024 U.K. forecast were reported in SamMobile’s coverage of TechInsights’ estimates. The exact ASP values and the gaps between these markets are not disclosed in the cited public coverage, so they should not be inferred from retail prices.

The U.K. projection was attributed to rising iPhone adoption and a faster replacement cycle. The same reporting said the U.S. could regain third place later, but that was an outlook, not confirmation of a subsequent ranking.

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Why South Korea and Japan have high ASPs

South Korea: premium phones and foldables

Reporting on the TechInsights comparison identified Samsung’s premium portfolio, especially its book-style Galaxy Z foldables, as one factor supporting South Korea’s high ASP. Foldables typically occupy the premium end of a manufacturer’s range, so a meaningful share of such sales can lift a market-wide average. This is a contributing explanation, not proof that foldables alone determine the country’s position. Android Headlines’ report on the ranking discusses the foldable-phone factor.

Japan: historically high, with slower ASP growth

The same historical coverage says Japan led the ranking before South Korea overtook it in 2021. It also reports that regulatory restrictions on smartphone subsidies slowed ASP growth. A high market ASP should not be confused with a high sticker price: discounts and subsidies can affect what consumers pay without mapping neatly to a wholesale average. The cited material does not establish a complete causal breakdown for Japan’s rank.

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Why the United States was third—and why that does not mean shoppers pay the third-highest bill

The U.S. is a mature market with strong demand for premium phones, including iPhones and other flagship devices. A premium-heavy sales mix can raise wholesale ASP. But U.S. carrier financing, trade-ins, and promotions may substantially alter a consumer’s effective cost, so the ranking is not a direct comparison of household checkout prices.

ASP is also not an affordability measure. To compare affordability, readers would need information such as prices relative to wages, taxes, financing costs, and replacement habits. The ranking alone does not show whether American consumers spend a larger share of income on phones.

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Why country rankings can move

Even when underlying consumer behavior changes gradually, measured ASP rankings can shift because a few percentage points of sales mix or currency movement can alter the converted average. Relevant factors include:

  • Product mix: A larger share of flagship or foldable sales raises average wholesale revenue per unit; greater budget-phone or refurbished-device share can pull it down.
  • Upgrade timing: Replacement cycles affect when consumers buy and which models are available during a reporting period.
  • Exchange rates: Converting local-market revenue into a common currency can change comparisons without changing local sticker prices.
  • Commercial terms: Subsidies, discounts, and promotions affect market economics differently from list prices.
  • Measurement choices: Periods, wholesale versus retail values, and treatment of cross-border, gray-market, or refurbished sales can affect comparability.

The public summaries cited here do not specify every country-assignment or sales-inclusion detail, so the ranking is best read as a market estimate rather than a precise comparison of consumer spending.

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What can be verified about the 2026 ranking

TechInsights’ current public summary says South Korea and Japan remain the two highest-ASP smartphone markets and describes forecasts for 88 countries through 2029. It does not display a complete current ranking in the accessible summary. Therefore, the United States’ exact 2026 position cannot be confirmed from that public page alone. The claim that the U.S. ranked third should remain explicitly dated to the 2023 comparison unless a full, current ranking is available.

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