Apple iPhone vs TCL:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Apple iPhone had more branded searches than TCL among smartphone brands in the United States. Apple iPhone had about 3.4 million branded searches, while TCL had 18,100. Apple iPhone made up 77.4% of all smartphone brand searches we track, and TCL accounted for 0.42%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about smartphone brands, Apple iPhone appeared in all five answers and TCL in none.
Who do people search for more?
Apple iPhone, about 185 searches for every 1 for TCL
Who does AI mention more?
Apple iPhone, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Apple iPhone, the only one of the two named
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Top smartphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Apple iPhone appeared in all five answers. TCL did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Samsung Galaxy1st- Apple iPhone2nd
Google Pixel3rd
Motorola4th
OnePlus5th
Nothing6th
Nokia–
Sony–
TCL–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Apple iPhone5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Google Pixel5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Samsung Galaxy5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Motorola4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Nothing1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- OnePlus1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Nokia0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Sony0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- TCL0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about smartphone brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which phone should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best smartphone brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What is the best phone for the money?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“smartphone”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best phone”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 26, 2026.
Is Apple iPhone or TCL more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Apple iPhone and TCL by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine smartphone brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Apple iPhone, TCL. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Apple iPhone | Google Pixel | Nothing | Samsung Galaxy | Nokia | OnePlus | Motorola | Sony | TCL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 61.1% | 14% | 5.5% | 7.9% | 3.7% | 5.1% | 1.1% | 0.91% | 0.74% |
| Nov 2025 | 64% | 12.2% | 3.9% | 6.9% | 3.2% | 7.7% | 0.95% | 0.63% | 0.63% |
| Dec 2025 | 65.1% | 11.9% | 4.8% | 7% | 2.6% | 6.4% | 0.96% | 0.64% | 0.64% |
| Jan 2026 | 64.6% | 9.9% | 5.8% | 7.3% | 3.2% | 6.5% | 1.2% | 0.78% | 0.78% |
| Feb 2026 | 66.3% | 10.2% | 6% | 7.2% | 3.3% | 4.6% | 0.98% | 0.8% | 0.66% |
| Mar 2026 | 62.6% | 11.4% | 8.5% | 6.8% | 3.1% | 5.1% | 1.1% | 0.76% | 0.62% |
| Apr 2026 | 66.1% | 10.1% | 6% | 7.2% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| May 2026 | 64.1% | 9.8% | 8.7% | 6.7% | 3.2% | 4.4% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.78% |
| Jun 2026 | 65.4% | 8.2% | 13.1% | 5.8% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 0.97% | 0.65% | 0.65% |
| Jul 2026 | 68.4% | 8.5% | 9.2% | 5.9% | 2.3% | 3.8% | 0.83% | 0.55% | 0.55% |
| Aug 2026 | 68.8% | 10.3% | 9.2% | 5.2% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 0.83% | 0.68% | 0.56% |
| Sep 2026 | 77.4% | 7.6% | 5.7% | 4.4% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 0.63% | 0.42% | 0.42% |
How has the Apple iPhone and TCL comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Apple iPhone was ahead of TCL in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple iPhone’s share of searches among smartphone brands in the United States moved from 61.1% to 77.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2M to 3.4M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TCL’s share of searches among smartphone brands in the United States moved from 0.74% to 0.42%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 18.1K.
How did search popularity change for United States smartphone brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Apple iPhone gained share of searches among smartphone brands in the United States, from 68.8% to 77.4%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for TCL in the United States rose 22.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 18.1K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple iPhone’s and TCL’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Apple iPhone
1 branded search term
- iphone
TCL
1 branded search term
- tcl phone
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