Apples iPhone XR was the most popular smartphone in 2019, easily out-shipping all other models and extending Apple’s record of perennially offering the market’s top-selling product.
Apple shipped 46.3 million iPhone XR smartphones last year, more than double the 23.1 million units in 2018, according to research group Omdia. The firms Smartphone Model Market Tracker report showed iPhone XR shipments in 2019 were nine million units higher than the second-most popular model, Apple’s iPhone 11.
“Apple has consistently owned the first and second positions in the global smartphone model shipment ranking, maintaining this dominant position for more than five years running,” Omdia research director Jusy Hong said. “The company’s continued dominance on this front is all the more remarkable when considering that Apple’s price hikes caused overall iPhone shipments to decline last year. By limiting the number of models, it offers compared to its top competitors, Apple has been able to concentrate its sales on a few smartphones that have broad appeal, like the iPhone XR.”
Samsung smartphones occupied the third through to fifth ranks in 2019, with the Galaxy A10, Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A20.
However, Samsung has taken an early lead in the 5G stakes. Shipments of 5G smartphones totaled 14.7 million units in 2019. While this accounted for just 1.1 per cent of total smartphone shipments, 5G represents a fast-rising segment of the smartphone market that’s set to become the dominant wireless standard in the coming years.
Of all 5G smartphones, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G shipped the most, with 2.6 million units in 2019 with Huawei’s Mate 30 Pro 5G a close second, with 2.5 million units.