No less than seven of the ten best-selling phones in 2021 were made by Apple. What’s more, all of the top five models were iPhones.
The iPhone 12 topped the list by a significant margin.
iPhone tops 2021 List for Global Top 10 Smartphones
Market analysts at Counterpoint compiled the list for 2021 that shows the iPhone 12 was the best-selling model globally, making up almost 3% of all handsets sold. It was followed by the iPhone 12 Pro Max (2.2%), iPhone 13 (2.1%), iPhone 12 Pro (2.1%) and iPhone 11 (2.0%).
“The pending demand for 5G upgrades by a strong and loyal iOS user base and push from carriers led the iPhone 12 series volumes,” said Karn Chauhan from Counterpoint. And the newer iPhone 13 came on strong, with the iPhone 13 the best-selling model in Q4 2021, and Apple the top smartphone maker.
Chart: Counterpoint
Samsung and Xiaomi made the list, too
Only two other companies made it onto the top ten phones for 2021, according to Counterpoint. The Samsung Galaxy A12 came in at the number six spot, followed by the Xiaomi Redmi 9A at #7 and the Xiaomi Redmi 9 at #10.
The Galaxy A12 is an entry-level phone, showing that sales of Samsung’s flagship models significantly trail demand for almost every iPhone. The two Xiaomi handsets are also budget models.
Of course, sales of individual models don’t tell the whole story. In total, Apple shipped 238 million units in 2021, according to Counterpoint. But Samsung shipped 271 million units in the same period. Xiaomi’s global phone shipments reached 190 million in 2021.
