’s xel is apparently a hit over at Verizon. According to a report from Fiercewireless, ’s first smartphone accounts for 7.5 percent of new activations during the last month.

That’s a high number for a premium priced, first-time phone that isn’t from Apple or Samsung. It indicates that the $15 million spent on advertising $12 million from Verizon during a campaign from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 is paying off. ’s ad campaign has played up the xel’s photo prowess, while Verizon has regularly run an ad where a group on a train uses the Assistant (which has awakened my phone Home more than once).

However, the effort to lure xel owners over to T-Mobile may not be going so hot. Activations at non-Verizon carriers remains between zero two percent, according to the report. Buying a xel from the Store unlocked may still be just the domain of enthusiasts who traditionally would have bought a Nexus smartphone.

Until is able to exp the in-store sales promotions to other carriers, the bulk of xel sales are likely to be with Verizon. And xel sales are likely to be limited overall, as most customers buy a phone from their wireless carrier.

y this matters: The xel is ’s first phone, the company is clearly willing to spend some advertising dollars to promote it. It’s a key piece of an overall hardware strategy to more deeply embed services in one’s life, as the xel is the first phone with the Assistant to support Daydream VR. No doubt it will end up under some tmas trees during this year’s holiday season.