September and October invariably emerge as the battleground months for smartphone manufacturers.

This period witnesses the launch of nearly all annual flagship smartphones, and this year is no different.

Apple unveiled its iPhone 18 Pro series, Xiaomi introduced the Xiaomi 18 Pro series, Huawei launched the Mate 90 series, and Honor rolled out the Magic 9 series, heralding another year of intense rivalry.

Although the release dates of these four smartphones differ, an examination of their cumulative and average sales can reveal which models are truly flying off the shelves and which are merely putting on a show.

Let's delve into the data first. The chart below illustrates the sales performance of flagship smartphones from Xiaomi, Apple, Huawei, and Honor as of October 4th, excluding data from OPPO and VIVO's flagship models.

It's evident that Apple dominates in cumulative sales, having sold 2.89 million units over 17 days, averaging 170,000 units per day—a feat unparalleled in the market.

Xiaomi secures the second spot, but it took 12 days to achieve this figure, averaging only 23,700 units per day.

Huawei claims the third position, with cumulative sales of 270,000 units in just 4 days, averaging 67,600 units per day.

Honor occupies the fourth place, with approximately 210,000 units sold in 7 days, averaging 29,900 units per day.

Based on this data, Apple undeniably leads in both cumulative and average daily sales. This showcases Apple's prowess and confidence, especially considering the absence of an iPhone 18 standard version this year, yet its performance remains stellar.

I believe Huawei should take the second spot. With just 4 days of sales, they've already sold 270,000 units, averaging 67,600 units per day, significantly outperforming Xiaomi and Honor.

However, there's a debate over whether Xiaomi or Honor should claim the third place. Some advocate for Xiaomi due to its higher cumulative sales, while others support Honor for its higher average daily sales.

In my view, Xiaomi deserves the third place. Any new smartphone is bound to experience an initial sales surge, followed by a gradual decline—this is a common market trend. Honor sold 209,400 units in the first week, averaging 29,900 units per day, but if their sales were to be cumulative over 12 days, they might not surpass Xiaomi, as sales would likely taper off.

But frankly, regardless of who competes for the second, third, or fourth place, no one can challenge Apple for the runner-up position—it's simply too dominant. And without a doubt, Apple will emerge as the domestic market leader in the fourth quarter!