The Pixel 10 is about as good a smartphone as we’ve seen from Google yet, and you don’t have to take our word for it. Google’s seeing some unprecedented success on the back of its latest hardware launch, and while it’s a far cry from the likes of Apple and Samsung, it’s something worth getting excited about.
A new report from Counterpoint shows Google’s US-based Pixel sales jumping a whopping 28% in September 2025 compared to September 2024, in the process setting a new single-month sales record for the nearly decade-old brand (via WCCFTech). Frankly, those are some pretty impressive numbers, especially in an era where very few mobile users actually jump between OEM brands, let alone OS platforms, and it comes as the Pixel 10 ad campaign cements Google’s hardware as AI-first devices, for better or for worse.
Zooming out, it’s pretty remarkable the success Google has seen in the US, though it’s seemingly come at the expense of other high-end Android OEMs, and not from Apple. According to Counterpoint, Google’s share of the $600 rose to 6.1% overall in September, up from 0.1% three years prior. The chart below shows similar stats for T-Mobile’s $600+ lineup; while Google did manage to jump to 7% market share in 36 months, it came as Samsung’s cut dropped by 8%. You could chalk that up to Apple, which saw a similar 8% growth over those three years, or you could point to interest surrounding Google’s output.
Verizon saw a similar split in this premium $600+ market, hitting about 7% market share after riding at 0.1% in 2022. Only AT&T customers have been slow to try out Pixel, with just 2.3% of sales in this price range. While this certainly sounds like small potatoes compared to Apple (and even Samsung), it shows some real momentum on Google’s part, even in the face of Apple’s iPhone 17 series.
It’s not just the Pixel 10 that helped Google set a record in September, though that series did do the heavy lifting. The Pixel 9a — Google’s $500 flagship alternative — is also continuing to sell well, just as we begin to see leaks of what its successor might look like come 2026. And with this trajectory, the Pixel 11 could be a landmark lineup for more reasons that a simple anniversary.
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