Apple was by far the most popular smartphone brand last year, with eight of its iPhone models appearing in a list of the top 10 best-selling smartphones.
That’s according to CounterPoint Research’s Global Monthly Handset Model Sales Tracker, which establishes Apple as the first brand to have so many spots in their top 10. The remaining two spots were occupied by Samsung.
According to the report, Apple’s iPhone 13 was the best-selling smartphone of 2022, contributing 28% to “iPhone” sales and achieving top-selling smartphone status in major markets such as China, France, Germany, the UK and the United States.
Counterpoint’s data suggests that the “iPhone 13” remained the number one smartphone every month from its launch in September 2021 to August 2022, with price cuts following the launch of the iPhone 14 further boosting “iPhone 13” sales in emerging markets boosted.
Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the second best-selling smartphone of 2022, twice as many “iPhone 13” models were sold, which underlines the great popularity of the device in all markets. Regarding the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the report notes the following:
For the first time in 2022, a Pro Max variant of an “iPhone” series achieved more volume than its Pro and base models. She helped the “iPhone 14 Pro” Max to claim third place in the 2022 list. It was the best-selling smartphone model in September, October and November 2022. ‘iPhone 14 Pro’ Max sales were led by early adopters and those upgrading to a higher ‘iPhone’ variant.
Elsewhere, robust sales in the US, Japan and China ensured the iPhone 12 — the best-selling smartphone of 2021 — took sixth place, ahead of the “iPhone 14” and “iPhone 14 Pro,” despite being Apple’s oldest phone is in the list. The iPhone SE (2022), meanwhile, took tenth place, with strong sales in Japan giving it a boost.
Finally, Samsung’s two spots on the list include the entry-level Galaxy A13 as the fourth best smartphone and the Galaxy A03, which rounds out the top 10. That’s one more spot on the list than the Korean company achieved last year.
“We believe the share of the top 10 smartphones will increase in 2023 as brands focus on clearing inventory and optimizing their launches,” said Counterpoint analysts Harshit Rastogi and Karn Chauhan. “We also expect brands to continue slimming their portfolios in 2023 to minimize cannibalization. The number of active smartphone models on the global market has already fallen from over 4,200 in 2021 to around 3,600 in 2022.”
In 2023, Apple will continue to sell the “iPhone 12” and “iPhone 13” alongside the “iPhone 14” series and the third-generation “iPhone SE”, underscoring the continued popularity of its older models with new and returning customers.
