Say what you want about the Apple iPhone, but its sales numbers are simply astounding. Counterpoint, a leading technology market research company, has discovered that eight out of the World’s Top 10 Bestselling Smartphones for 2022 were from the Cupertino firm. Here’s the breakdown on the facts.
As you can see in this chart, the vanilla Apple iPhone 13 led the way for global sales until the 14 series was launched. From there, the vanilla iPhone 14 then began its steady ascent to the top and concluded the year as the most saleable smartphone on this planet. The rest of the list is composed of various Apple iPhone sales numbers, but another interesting callout is the position of the iPhone 12.
It’s an older device released in 2020 yet still remained one of the world’s top contenders for the year, two years after its release. This just shows that hordes of consumers willing to go on the Apple train opt for an older device due to its relative affordability. Also, it’s a testament to the buyers’ faith that the company will continue to support an older product, so they’re more inclined to take a risk on an aging device. Props to Apple and their reliable software updates for years and years, which is important to a lot of people (especially for expensive purchases).
Another observation from this fact is that consumers do prefer older flagship devices over newer, lower-range models. That’s why the SE 2022 has not quite achieved Top 5 status ever since its release. However, it doesn’t experience the same drastic drop that the Apple iPhone 12 undergoes upon the release of the 14 models. We can hypothesize that those who were aiming for the 12 within this timeframe got something within the 13 lineup instead thanks to sudden discounts and promotions driven by a new release.
Meanwhile, those who could afford to upgrade to something within the 14 family just did. Simple as that.
This doesn’t really apply to Android devices as the only two in this list are entry-level Samsung A models. These are simply essential or beginner smartphones for emerging markets, which is why they sell en masse. People purchase these not because they WANT a Samsung particularly, but because it’s the safest option for a SMARTPHONE (in general) that won’t break the bank. After all, even the cheapest iPhone is still out of a significant amount of the population’s grasp. You buy an iPhone because you want an iPhone, not because you need a phone.
We can imagine that the primary reason why we don’t see any midrange or flagship Android devices here is that sales are divided between the fierce competition of brands. As such, despite Samsung’s fame, none of the S-series models have infiltrated this list.
The notable device that’s missing from this “dominated by Apple iPhone sales list” is the forgotten iPhone 14 Plus. Some may attribute it as a commercial flop – not because it did anything particularly bad, but because it failed to provide value that matched its siblings.
Anyway, it’s quite understandable why Apple iPhone sales are as sky-high as they are. We go in-depth here, but the cultural impact, ease of use, a unified ecosystem, software longevity, and its brilliant marketing as a social tool have all played a part in propelling this humble device to where it is now. Definitely deserved.
