Every year, the top performing TVs are brought together into one room to determine which models offer the best video performance, and which don’t quite measure up. It’s called the “TV Shootout” and it’s hosted by electronics dealer Value Electronics. This year’s event included six of the top performing OLED and RGB backlit LCD TVs from Sony, LG and Samsung and it was held yesterday (July 18, 2026) at the company’s headquarters in Scarsdale, NY.

The Competitors

With Panasonic effectively dropping back out of the high end TV market in the United States (at least for now), and with TCL and Hisense choosing not to participate, just three manufacturers were represented this year: LG, Samsung and Sony. Each manufacturer was represented by one OLED TV and one RGB-lit LCD TV in the fight, for a total of six models.

OLED TV Models Competing in the 2026 TV Shootout (65-inch):

RGB-Backlit LCD TV Models Competing in the 2026 TV Shootout (75-inch):

Although all six TVs were installed in the same room, along with four professional Sony broadcast monitors to use as reference displays, the competition was actually split into two groups: OLED on the left (all in 65-inch sizes) and RGB-lit LED/LCD TVs on the right (all in 75-inch sizes). Unlike in previous years, the judges were split into two groups as well: one group to judge the OLED TVs and one group to judge the RGB LCD TVs.

OLED vs. RGB Backlit LCD TV

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs use self-illuminating pixels to create the on-screen image. This allows them to create perfect black levels and outstanding contrast as each individual pixel and be turned fully on or fully off, or anywhere in between. If a star in deep space lights up exactly one pixel and is surrounded by pitch black space, that’s not a problem for an OLED TV.

LG’s G6 OLED TV, the company’s flagship model, uses a quad-stack Tandem RGB OLED (also known as “W-OLED” (White OLED) because it uses a white OLED element. But each white OLED uses red, green, white and blue sub-pixels for color reproduction. Meanwhile Samsung’s S95H and Sony’s BRAVIA 8 II OLED TVs use QD-OLED (Quantum Dot Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology in order to create the image. QD-OLED uses a blue OLED pixel combined with quantum dot technology to create the on-screen image and colors. While both technologies are capable of comparable brightness and contrast, QD-OLED TVs typically have slightly wider color gamut, which means they can reproduce a wider range of colors than W-OLED TVs.

RGB backlit TVs, sometimes known as “Micro RGB” TVs, differ from traditional LCD TVs in that they use multi-color red, green and blue LED backlight elements instead of a single color blue or white backlight. This allows RGB-lit TVs to offer higher efficiency, higher brightness and wider color gamut reproduction. But because RGB lit LCD TVs are still actually LCD TVs, there is no one-to-one match from lighting zone to each pixel. One RGB backline “zone” may serve hundreds or even thousands of individual pixels, so RGB-lit LCD TVs can have issues with uniformity, elevated black levels, blooming and haloing. When viewing a single-pixel star against a black space background, you will normally see a faint glow around the lit up pixel, due to the backlight bleeding through the LCD shutters. And that’s very difficult (if not impossible) to completely fix. But you can make it better by including a large number of backlight zones and use local dimming to control how these lighting zones operate.

All of the RGB-lit LCD TVs in this year’s Shootout include advanced local dimming, with a high number of dimming zones, so many of the traditional drawbacks of LCD TVs are minimized. We also noticed that all three of this year’s RGB-lit TVs offered off-axis viewing that was superior to most other LCD TVs, though still not as good as OLED TVs.

Managing Ambient Lighting

In terms of bright room viewing, four of the TVs in this year’s competition include some form of advanced glare reduction to minimize the reflection of in-room light fixtures or sunlight. The Samsung S95H and R95H use Samsung’s “Glare Free” screen coating, now in its third generation. The Sony BRAVIA 9 II uses Sony’s new “Black Screen Immersive Pro” anti-glare coating. The LG G6 OLED TV uses LG’s new “Reflection Free Premium” coating. All of these are effective at minimizing the direct reflection of ambient light, but they can impact perceived black levels.

Originally, each TV was going to be judged both with its best “out of the box” default video mode selected as well as in bright rooms, but some technical glitches with the peripheral equipment caused delays so those two parts of the testing were omitted. All of the evaluations that we did were done with professionally calibrated TVs in a light-controlled dark room setting. But having seen and experienced all three flavors of glare reduction, we feel that Sony’s Black Screen Immersive Pro coating is most effective at minimizing the reflection of ambient light without excessively washing out colors or changing the hue of black backgrounds.

Judges Assemble

As in previous competitions, all TVs were evaluated by professional judges from within the A/V community: tech journalists (including yours truly), content creators, trained calibrators and creative video content professionals. The pool of ten judges was split with five judging the OLED TVs and five judging the RGB-lit LED LCD TVs.

In addition to the TVs themselves, which were all professionally calibrated by expert ISF calibrator DeWayne “D-Nice” Davis, there were four professional Sony broadcast monitors on hand (BVM-HX3110), which typically sell for around $40,000 each. These are the pro monitors used by studios and mastering houses worldwide when grading and mastering movies and TV shows for home use. Judges were instructed to compare the image on the TVs with those on the broadcast monitors and rank each TV from 1 (not good) to 5 (best) based on how close they came to the reference monitors.

The evaluation featured video test clips, stills and real world movie scenes chosen to highlight specific areas of video performance such as contrast, brightness, color volume, color accuracy, motion reproduction, HDR tone mapping and image uniformity. After the tests, the judges’ scorecards were tabulated in order to crown a new “King of TV” for 2026. To be precise, two kings were crowned: one for OLED and one for RGB-lit LCD TVs.

As they have since the very first TV Shootout in 2004, consumers can use the results of the event and the judges’ scorecards to select the best TV for their own liking and specific use-case. Performance in both bright and light-controlled rooms will be considered.

As in previous years, it “takes a village” to put the event together, with many folks working behind the scenes to prepare for and run the event. It also takes a fair amount of gear. AVPro Global supplied the latest state-of-the-art switching, distribution, and test equipment for the event. Magnetar’s UDP-900MKII flagship 4K universal disc player and Kaleidescape’s Strato K 8K-capable Media Player were the reference sources for content with a Panasonic UHD Blu-ray Player also stepping in when the Magnetar player started misbehaving.

And the Winners Are…

Since the event was effectively separated into two parallel contests, with one set of judges rating the OLED TVs and another set of judges rating the RGB/LCD TVs, two winners were declared for 2026, a “King of OLED TV” and a “King of Micro RGB TV.” The winner in the OLED category, by a pretty healthy margin was the Samsung S95H QD-OLED TV. The winner in the Micro RGB category was the Sony BRAVIA 9 II True RGB TV. And even though they were effectively two different contests, the Samsung S95H had such higher scores overall that it was declared the overall winner of the 2026 TV Shootout.

The final detailed scorecards from the event have not yet been published, but when they are, we will be sure to update this article.

The Bottom Line

Having spent a significant amount of time with both Sony TVs and both Samsung TVs, and also having more limited hands-on time with both LG models, I was not surprised by the results. OLED TVs still have significant advantages over LCD TVs, even advanced RGB-backlit LCD TVs, particularly when it comes to picture uniformity, black levels, contrast and color saturation. I rated the Samsung S95H as the winner in my own judging, but I would personally take any of the OLED TVs over all of the Micro RGB TVs as my personal television.

The LG OLED did have some issues with color reproduction, with cooler whites and slightly muted colors, but these were only noticeable when compared to the reference monitors and to the two other OLED competitors. At home with a single TV on your wall or credenza, you’ll definitely appreciate the OLED TV’s deep inky blacks and outstanding contrast. And even though the Sony BRAVIA 8 II QD-OLED TV won last year’s TV Shootout (and its predecessors won for the prior three years), that TV is starting to show its age in processing, compared to the brand new Samsung S95H and LG G6. In my opinion, the LG G6 had stronger overall performance than the BRAVIA 8 II OLED, and any of the RGB-lit LCD TVs, but the Samsung S95H dominated the event due to its strong overall performance.

But does this mean everyone should go out and buy a Samsung S95H? Not necessarily. Some potential buyers are turned off by the S95H design, which features a large floating metal frame around the outside out the TV (which is not removeable). In my opinion, it makes the TV look more like artwork, particularly when it’s displaying art from the Samsung Art Store, but others prefer a more subtle narrow bezel. Also, the Samsung “Glare Free” matte screen, while extremely effective at reducing reflected light, can raise the black levels and add a subtle hint of purple to those blacks when viewed in a bright room. But if this bothers you, you can always just turn off the lights or draw the curtains.

Meanwhile, for those who are looking for a very large screen TV (above 83 inches), OLED is not really a viable option. Micro RGB TVs like the ones that competed in this year’s TV Shootout are available in sizes up to 115 inches diagonal. With the shift to RGB backlighting, LCD TV continues to improve in picture quality and the benefits of wider color gamut reproduction and higher brightness make them a solid choice if size, bright room viewing and picture performance are important to you.

While there is sure to be some controversy with the results (no one likes when their personal favorite TV doesn’t win), the TV Shootout remains one of the premier TV comparison events as it pits the top performing TVs against each other and hits them with a wide range of content to reveal each of their strengths and weaknesses. The event’s results should help inform TV buyers’ choices through the remainder of 2026 and beyond.

Where to Buy the Winning TVs?

For more information, all TVs are available at Value Electronics, Best Buy, and Crutchfield.

And special thanks to Robert and Wendy Zohn at Value Electronics for hosting the event.

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In brief: Remember the teenage GTA 6 hacker who was sentenced to life in a secure hospital facility in 2023? The former Lapsus$ member has been released from the unit and is now in prison awaiting a retrial for his crimes.

Back in September 2022, one of the biggest leaks of all time hit the internet when over 90 videos and screenshots of the still-unreleased GTA 6 were posted to the GTAForums. They originated from a then-18-year-old hacker who also claimed to be behind an Uber breach that occurred a few days earlier.

A couple of days after the leak, the City of London Police arrested the hacker, Arion Kurtaj, thanks to assistance from the FBI and NCCU. He was accused of causing almost $3 million of damage to Uber and accessing around 5,000 Revolut customers’ information. Kurtaj and a 17-year-old were also accused of blackmailing BT Group (Britain’s biggest broadband provider) and mobile operator EE between July and November 2021; they demanded a $4 million ransom. The pair are also alleged to be behind a hack on Nvidia.

In July 2023, Kurtaj was assessed by psychiatrists as unfit to stand trial due to his “acute autism.” That meant a jury could only determine whether he committed the crimes he was accused of, rather than finding him guilty or not guilty.

A mental health assessment also found that he continued to express an intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible, adding that “he is highly motivated” to engage in more criminal activities.

sentenced in December 2023 the court heard that he will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger. But he is now out and will face a conventional criminal trial in November. I have been trying to get this information confirmed with police for weeks after…

– Joe Tidy BBC News (@joetidy.bsky.social) 14 July 2026 at 15:38

Even being under police supervision didn’t stop the hacker. While staying in a hotel under police protection and despite having his laptop confiscated, Kurtaj was able to hack Rockstar using an Amazon Fire TV Stick provided in the room and a newly purchased phone, keyboard, and mouse. He broke into Rockstar’s internal Slack system and threatened to release the source code if the company did not contact him on Telegram.

Kurtaj was ordered to remain in the secure hospital indefinitely, unless doctors determined that he was no longer a danger. BBC correspondent Joe Tidy says he has now been moved out of that facility and into a regular prison awaiting retrial in November. Ironically, it’s the same month GTA 6 finally launches on consoles.

Tidy said it’s unclear why Kurtaj has now been deemed fit to face a conventional criminal trial after spending more than two years of being in a secure hospital.

To celebrate Evil Dead Burn coming out in theaters this month, I’ve put together the ultimate quiz to test fans of the popular horror franchise.

Ever since The Evil Dead was released in 1981, the series has been a favorite among genre fans and is widely recognizable, but have you been paying attention to it? I bet you won’t be able to get a perfect score on my quiz, so now’s your chance to prove me wrong!

ASUS has expanded its product lineup in India by introducing the ASUS Pad T3201. The new tablet combines a premium OLED screen, performance, and portability. It has been built using the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 SoC and targets those users who like to stream, game, study, and work while traveling. The tablet’s launch date is set for August 6.

ASUS Pad T3201 Specifications and Features

ASUS has designed the Pad T3201 for both entertainment and productivity. It is equipped with a 12.2-inch dual-layer OLED screen featuring 2.8K resolution and a 144 Hz refresh rate. The display can deliver up to 2,000 nits of brightness and support the 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, making it perfect for entertainment such as watching movies, gaming, and reading. The phone runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 chipset and features 8 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. It runs on Android 16 and ensures efficient use for the user. ASUS has also equipped the device with Wi-Fi 6E, which provides a reliable, fast internet connection. Buyers can choose 128GB or 256GB storage, while a microSD card expands storage up to 1TB.

The ASUS Pad T3201 packs a 9,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging support. ASUS says the battery charges from 0 to 50 percent in about 30 minutes. The tablet weighs 523g and measures 6.5mm thin, making it easy to carry. It also includes quad speakers with Dolby Atmos for immersive sound. For photography and communication, the tablet includes a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. It supports ASUS Pen 2.0, a Bluetooth keyboard, and GlideX for seamless file sharing. ASUS also bundles a protective folio case with the device. Users can also use Google Circle to Search without switching apps.

Launch and Availability

The ASUS Pad T3201 is set to launch in India on August 6 at 12 PM. This product will be sold both online at Flipkart and the ASUS E-Shop website. Offline purchasing is possible at ASUS and ROG stores, as well as Reliance Digital, among others. At the moment, ASUS has not announced the tablet’s price.

Garkus walked into his local Subway and walked out with the exact machines that used to show footlong prices and cookie deals. Staff were swapping the old digital menu boards for newer ones, and the discarded units headed straight into a trash pile until he asked if he could take a few. Three Advantec DS081 media players and four commercial displays later, the experiment began.

These super-slim, fanless boxes sat in a sandwich shop for years, running continuously. They aren’t particularly high-end, but they still have some life in them. Under the hood, there’s a sixth-generation Intel Core i3-6100U processor clocked at 2.3 GHz, four gigabytes of DDR4 RAM that can be expanded to eight if necessary, a 64-gigabyte solid-state drive, and Intel HD Graphics 520. They have the conventional ports: HDMI, USB 3.0, Ethernet, and a micro PCIe slot.

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He began by upgrading the RAM, and one of them received a full eight-gigabyte stick. Then came Windows 10 installation, which loaded quickly and dumped the user to a normal desktop rather than the Subway interface. Then he attempted to install macOS on one of them and was successful, even fooling the system into thinking it was a 2016 MacBook Pro, despite the lack of graphics acceleration. The third one received Bazzite, a Linux distribution created expressly to assist get games operating on obsolete hardware. SteamOS was difficult to get operating since the storage interface was incompatible.

So he fired up Peggle on the Bazzite machine, and it worked perfectly. It’s a good game to have on that system. Then he tried Minecraft, which handled all of the TNT explosions admirably, albeit at a slower frame rate. He even attempted to run Grand Theft Auto V on the Windows PC, but it just couldn’t handle the workload due to a lack of fans and limited power delivery.

Surprisingly, games that don’t require a lot of power appear to run fairly well on these older systems. The compact size and low power demand make it ideal for older console titles such as PS2 and original Xbox games. He dug into the old Subway software, and it appears that they have a huge number of menu templates, complete with files for things like Submelts and big cheese steaks, but no secret treasures, just the standard signage materials.

Then disaster almost struck during testing when one of his testers knocked over a Pepsi, and he believed everything was lost, but it turns out these little computers are incredibly resilient. They continue running even after they have finished serving sandwiches.

Apple’s latest iPad Air is $200 off when you opt for the M4 model with 512GB of storage during Amazon’s weekend sale.

The $200 discount at Amazon brings the Wi-Fi 13-inch iPad Air with 512GB of storage in Blue down to $1,049.

Save $200 on 13″ iPad Air M4

Considering Apple raised prices last month across the iPad line, this deal is highly competitive and comes in within $50 of the lowest price on record.

With a discount this steep, you’ll want to grab the offer now, as inventory is already thinning, with delivery by July 24 for Prime members.

You can also compare prices across the product line in our 13-inch iPad Air M4 Price Guide.

And if you’re in the market for a MacBook to pair with your new iPad Air, Amazon is slashing $400 off Apple’s M5 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro with 2TB of storage.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how software is built, deployed, and secured. While AI has accelerated innovation across industries, it has also expanded the number of internet-facing assets organizations need to protect. According to Rob Gurzeev, CEO and Co-Founder of CyCognito, the challenge is no longer just identifying known vulnerabilities. It is understanding what is actually exposed, how those assets connect, and how attackers can exploit them.

Drawing on years of experience in cybersecurity and intelligence, Gurzeev believes many organizations still operate with an incomplete view of their attack surface. That gap, he says, is becoming more dangerous as AI makes it easier than ever to create and expose new applications.

A security mindset built on finding the unknown

Gurzeev’s path into cybersecurity began long before AI entered the picture. As a teenager, he spent time exploring computers and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) communities, where curiosity about hacking first took hold. That interest eventually led him to an intelligence unit, where he worked on reconnaissance and attack-surface operations.

“Honestly, this work chose me more than I chose it,” Gurzeev said. He explained that the role often started with little more than a name and required finding “the path of least resistance into something that mattered.”

Those experiences continue to shape how he approaches cybersecurity today. “I was taught you never actually know what reality is. You have to go find it. Validate it,” he said. “Most of the security industry was built the other way around, on the assumption that you already know where your stuff is. That gap is the whole reason CyCognito exists.”

Mapping the attacker’s view

CyCognito approaches security by working from the outside in, beginning with nothing more than a company’s name. The platform maps everything exposed to the internet, including forgotten or unmanaged assets, then tests those systems to identify weaknesses that could be exploited by attackers.

“In a nutshell, we map everything a company has exposed to the internet, then trace the handful of paths that actually lead to its internal networks and sensitive data,” Gurzeev explained.

Rather than relying solely on vulnerability scans, the platform validates which weaknesses are genuinely exploitable. According to Gurzeev, “If I had to name the one thing that makes us unique, it’s that our platform thinks like an attacker. That should be obvious. It isn’t.”

The scale of today’s attack surface

Modern enterprise environments have grown far beyond what traditional security programs were designed to manage. Gurzeev estimates that a large enterprise typically exposes around 100,000 applications, devices, and cloud assets to the internet, while some organizations have significantly larger footprints.

“Our single biggest customer has around 100 million things an attacker can interact with from the outside,” he said, adding that external attack surfaces change by one to three percent every day.

Despite that scale, many organizations continue to focus security efforts on only a small fraction of their environments. “Most security effort goes to a few hundred or a thousand key assets. What about the rest?” Gurzeev asked. “Guarding the front door while you leave the windows open is not a strategy.”

AI is expanding the problem

The rapid adoption of AI has made creating and deploying applications much easier across organizations. Employees outside traditional development teams can now build internet-facing tools using AI-powered coding assistants, often without going through established security processes.

“Today, anyone and everyone can deploy an app,” Gurzeev said. “Someone in HR or finance can spin up an application with a tool like Claude Code or Lovable and expose it to the internet, on purpose or by accident.”

He believes AI has shifted from being a supporting technology to becoming part of organizations’ core infrastructure. “As recently as six months ago, AI was bolted onto the edge of the business. Now it runs through the core, which means these systems aren’t adjacent to the attack surface anymore. They are the attack surface.”

The challenge extends beyond application growth. Gurzeev pointed to research suggesting AI-generated code introduces vulnerabilities at significantly higher rates than code written entirely by humans. More importantly, he argued that much of this software bypasses the secure development processes organizations have spent years building.

“The honest answer is we’re defending more of something less safe, and we can’t yet measure exactly how much. That uncertainty is itself the risk,” he said.

Continuous testing for an AI-driven era

As attackers increasingly adopt AI, Gurzeev argues that periodic assessments are no longer enough. Security teams need continuous visibility into what is exposed, what can actually be exploited, and which issues require immediate remediation.

“Keeping up takes three things, all continuous,” he said. “Know what you have exposed right now. Know which of it an attacker could actually break into, across all of it, not a sample. Fix what matters in hours.”

CyCognito’s latest release focuses on continuous AI security testing by combining full attack surface discovery with AI-powered validation. Rather than limiting advanced testing to a small number of high-priority assets, the platform maps an organization’s entire internet-facing environment before applying AI where reasoning is needed most.

According to Gurzeev, the platform continuously performs more than 100,000 automated checks for known issues, allowing AI to focus on identifying complex attack paths that conventional scanners often miss. As those attack chains are validated, they become repeatable automated tests, expanding coverage over time.

Looking ahead, Gurzeev remains optimistic that defenders can regain the advantage. “The winners won’t be the ones who spend the most,” he said. “They’ll be the ones who use it most efficiently, getting the most out of every dollar of compute by pointing it with context instead of running it blind. Do that, and defenders catch up.“

Apple discontinued the Mac Pro earlier this year, ending a 20-year run for a computer that once represented the very best of the company’s desktop lineup. However, Apple reportedly had much bigger plans for the machine before ultimately replacing it with the Mac Studio.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple developed an M3 Extreme chip that could have offered twice as many CPU and GPU cores as the M3 Ultra. The processor was intended to sit above the Ultra tier and could have finally given the Mac Pro the performance advantage it badly needed. Apple eventually abandoned the chip due to concerns over production costs and limited demand for such an expensive machine.

Apple had been working on an Extreme chip for years

Rumors about an Extreme-tier Apple chip first appeared in 2022, when Gurman reported that the company was developing an M2 Extreme for its first Apple silicon Mac Pro. The processor was expected to feature as many as 48 CPU cores and 152 GPU cores, double the rumored M2 Ultra configuration. However, it would have been extremely expensive to manufacture. Gurman estimated that an M2 Extreme Mac Pro could have cost at least $10,000 before upgrades, turning it into an extraordinarily niche product.

Engineering challenges also reportedly played a role. Apple ultimately decided that the development and production costs were difficult to justify for a computer that would sell in relatively small numbers. Bloomberg’s latest report suggests Apple later developed an M3 Extreme before cancelling that project for similar reasons.

The chip could have given the Mac Pro a reason to exist

Apple launched its first Apple silicon Mac Pro in 2023 with the same M2 Ultra chip found inside the Mac Studio. The Mac Pro offered PCIe expansion, yet it cost twice as much despite delivering nearly identical CPU and GPU performance. An M3 Extreme could have changed the equation. Gurman says the chip was designed with twice as many CPU and GPU cores as the M3 Ultra, which tops out at a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU.

Apple also reportedly developed an M3 Ultra Mac Pro that never reached the market. The Mac Pro remained stuck on its 2023 chip until Apple discontinued it in March, and it is not expected to return anytime soon.

Existing iPhone owners continue to account for nearly nine in 10 surveyed U.S. purchases, showing how Apple’s enormous customer base isn’t dwindling under pressure from Google and other Android smartphone manufacturers.

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that 87% of U.S. iPhone buyers in the March 2026 quarter came from another iPhone. The share reached its highest level in the three years covered by the report, up from 84% in 2025 and 85% in 2024.

Another 12% switched from an Android smartphone, down from 14% in 2025 and slightly below the 13% measured in 2024. The remaining 1% came from a basic phone, bought a first smartphone, or fell into another category.

The numbers point to a smartphone market in which most buyers settled on a platform years ago. Apple can still attract Android owners, but the larger opportunity comes from convincing hundreds of millions of existing customers to replace an older iPhone with a newer model.

Android switching remains within CIRP’s recent range

Android users have accounted for 11% to 15% of new iPhone buyers in recent years, placing the March quarter’s 12% result within CIRP’s usual range. The decline from 14% in 2025 looks more like routine movement than a major shift in Apple’s ability to attract Android owners.

Switching platforms can mean transferring years of data, replacing apps and accessories, and rebuilding familiar workflows. Existing iPhone owners face far less friction because their photos, messages, passwords, apps, and settings can move to a new model.

Previous phone used by iPhone buyers in the 12 months ending each March

A 12% share still represents a meaningful source of new customers at Apple’s scale. Apple posted record iPhone revenue as Counterpoint estimated that U.S. iPhone sales volume rose 1.3% while the overall market fell 5.7%.

The growing iPhone buyer pool also makes CIRP’s percentage harder to interpret on its own. The number of Android converts could hold steady or increase even if those buyers represent a smaller share of total iPhone purchases.

Repeat buyers give Apple a dependable sales base

The 87% figure shows why Apple doesn’t need a surge in platform switching to sustain the iPhone business. Existing owners already understand iOS, own compatible accessories, and may have years of purchases and personal data tied to Apple Services.

Carrier promotions and trade-in offers can make another iPhone the easiest financial and technical choice. Apple also benefits beyond the phone sale because repeat buyers may remain connected to Apple Watch, AirPods, Mac, iPad, and Services.

Apple said on January 29, 2026, that its installed base had surpassed 2.5 billion active devices worldwide, although it doesn’t disclose how many are iPhones or how many belong to unique users.

Only 1% of CIRP’s surveyed iPhone buyers came from a basic phone, bought a first smartphone, or entered through another route. Apple and Android manufacturers are therefore competing mostly for people who already own a capable device.

Winning a new customer means persuading someone to leave a familiar platform, while keeping one preserves future hardware and Services revenue. Each Android convert can also become part of Apple’s repeat-buyer pool in later upgrade cycles.

CIRP’s survey measures the composition of iPhone buyers rather than the total number of people switching platforms. Apple’s U.S. iPhone business still draws most heavily from existing owners, while Android converts remain a smaller but steady source of new customers.