What you need to know
- The iPhone XR was the number one smartphone in 2019.
- That's according to research from Omdia, which says it shipped 46.3M units in 2019.
- Apple also took the number two spot thanks to the iPhone 11.
A report from Omdia claims that the iPhone XR was the number one smartphone in 2019, shipping over 46.3 million units.
As reported by 9to5Mac, Omdia's Smartphone Model Market Tracker report suggests that Apple shipped 46.3 million iPhone XR units in 2019, making it the most popular smartphone in the world. In second place was Apple's iPhone 11, which shipped 37.3 million units. Samsung's Galaxy A10 was the closest competitor with 30.3 million shipments.
Of course, shipments and sales are not the same things, however, shipment figures are still a good indicator of general market trends.
In a press release Omdia stated:
Apple shipped 46.3 million iPhone XR smartphones last year, more than doubling the 23.1 million units in 2018, according to Omdia's Smartphone Model Market Tracker report. iPhone XR shipments in 2019 were 9 million units higher than the second-most popular model, Apple's iPhone 11, which achieved shipments of 37.3 million units for the year."Apple has consistently owned the first and second positions in the global smartphone model shipment ranking, with the company maintaining this dominant position for more than five years running," said Jusy Hong, smartphone research and analysis director at Omdia. "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."
The iPhone XR was actually more popular in 2019 than it was in its release year, this, of course, can be explained in part due to the fact that it was only released late in 2018, and in part due to its price drop following the release of Apple's iPhone 11 range last year.
Apple is pegged to release a new budget iPhone early this year. The so-called iPhone SE 2 which looks more like an iPhone 8 (inside and out), is tipped to have a $399 starting price.
