Last year, 2022, around 1.6 billion smartphones were sold and according to Counterpoint research, the top 10 models included a mix of Samsung and Apple models. The big surprise was which Samsung models are the most popular, as it’s not what you would expect.
According to Counterpoint, the Apple iPhone 13 was the best-selling phone of 2022. The iPhone 13 Pro Max also proved extremely popular.
Apple also had the third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth best-selling phones of the year.
Surprisingly, the top selling Samsung models were not their S22 models. Instead, consumers went with the Galaxy A13, which was ranked fourth, while its Galaxy A03 ranked 10th.
It’s the first time a single brand has ever captured eight of the top 10 spots in the best-selling smartphone list, Counterpoint claims.
Top 10 phones by sales in 2022
Apple iPhone 13
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy A13
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Apple iPhone 12
Apple iPhone 14
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Apple iPhone SE 2022
Samsung Galaxy A03
Counterpoint says market share will increase for these phones in 2023 as Apple, Samsung, and other smartphone brands focus on clearing out inventory and optimizing product launches.
“For the first time, a Pro Max variant of an iPhone series drove more volume than its Pro and base models,” Counterpoint management claim.
“The iPhone 14 Pro Max sales were led by early adopters and those upgrading to a higher iPhone variant. Major advancements in the iPhone 14 Pro series, such as dynamic island and faster processor, make it more attractive, as the base model is almost identical to the previous year’s model.”
Counterpoint claim it’s important to note that it’s only possible for Apple to capture so many places on the top ten best-selling phones list because it is the only manufacturer of iPhones.
This, they claim, represented 50% market share with Android-based smartphones based in some wealthy nations, taking more than a quarter of global market share: 27.6% according to Statista.
In addition, many Android phone manufacturers such as Samsung spread their market share over significantly more models, meaning Apple’s overall market share is more concentrated for each model of iPhone it sells.
These 10 top phones account for 19% of global sales volume, according to Counterpoint.
There were around 3,600 distinct models of smartphones available for sale globally in 2022, the company says, down from the 4,200 available in 2021. Very likely, that trend will continue as the smartphone industry continues to mature and consolidate.
