/PRCWT/Guangzhou, March 8, 2023——According to research firm Counterpoint, only two Android devices made it among the top ten best-selling smartphones globally in 2022. Those were Samsung‘s budget handsets Galaxy A03 and Galaxy A13. The remaining eight spots were taken by Apple’s iPhones, with the iPhone 13 topping the chart.
Eight of the ten best-selling smartphones in 2022 were iPhones
Apple usually dominates these charts and that isn’t surprising. Since the company only launches a handful of models every year, people looking to buy iPhones don’t have many choices. They end up buying one of the recent iPhone models, thus driving volumes. On the other hand, the sheer amount of options in the Android space means there’s no default choice here. Whatever might be your budget or requirements, you’ll always find several models fitting all criteria.
It has been this way for several years now and it isn’t changing anytime soon. In fact, Apple is increasingly benefitting from the growing competition in the Android space. It had eight iPhone models in the top ten best-selling smartphones chart for the first time last year. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max were the monthly leaders from January to August, i.e. until the iPhone 14 series came along. The iPhone 14 Pro Max was the crowd favorite for the next three months, with the iPhone 14 topping the chart in December.
Overall, the iPhone 13 accounted for five percent of all smartphones sold last year. It was followed by the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Samsung Galaxy A13 sits in the fourth spot, followed by the iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone SE 2022, and Galaxy A03. Counterpoint says the latest iPhone Pro Max model sold in more numbers than the Pro and base models for the first time.
“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,” the research firm explains. In the Android space, Samsung’s Galaxy A13, which is the successor to 2021’s best-selling smartphone Galaxy A12, was a popular choice in the Caribbean, Latin America, and India.
Android OEMs are shrinking their smartphone portfolios
The top ten best-selling smartphones accounted for almost 19 percent of total shipments last year. Counterpoint estimates this share to grow in 2023. That’s because Android OEMs are shrinking their smartphone portfolios. Around 3,600 smartphones were active in the global market in 2022, down over 14 percent from more than 4,200 in 2021. This number may go further down this year. “Brands will focus on their portfolios’ premiumization to translate volumes into profitability,” Counterpoint states.
