The smartphone market witnesses significant competition among manufacturers. For the past five years, the contenders for the top 10 best-selling phones of the year have been divided between two main manufacturers: Apple and Samsung. Now, the results for the year 2023 are in, and for the first time, we see a landscape triumphantly dominated by Apple. Let's look at the figures.
The Top 7 Best-Selling Phones of 2023 were all iPhones
As revealed by Counterpoint Research's Global Monthly Handset Model Sales Tracker, a research firm specializing in tech products, last year's global best-selling phones notably saw Apple conquering the first seven positions, a first for the company.
Apparently, the iPhone 14 models led the ranking, becoming the best-selling smartphones of the year, with significant contributions from the US and Chinese markets, which together accounted for half of their sales. These models (iPhone 14, 14 Pro Max, and 14 Pro) in particular contributed 19% to the total iPhone sales in 2023.
The iPhone 13 was not far behind, securing the fourth spot thanks to its popularity in Japan and India, while the iPhone 15 models occupied the fifth, sixth, and seventh places, among which the iPhone 15 Pro Max (which surpasses the battery life of the Galaxy S24 Ultra) stands out as the best-selling model of Apple's latest lineup, despite its relatively late launch in September last year.
Counterpoint's report also highlights the stability of Apple's total sales in 2023, in contrast to the decline of its main competitors. This phenomenon is partly due to the boost from emerging markets like India and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, with India becoming the fifth smartphone market to exceed 10 million iPhone unit sales in a single year.
Meanwhile, Samsung managed to position its A series devices in the eighth, ninth, and tenth spots, showcasing consumers' preference for the South Korean brand's mid-range devices, in contrast to the absence of its high-end Galaxy phones from the list. Other Chinese brands didn't even make the list.
Apple's dominance in the smartphone market in 2023 is a clear reflection of its constant innovation, the success of its strategies focused on quality and product ecosystem, and its ability to capture and meet the needs of us all.
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