iPhone captured eight spots in the list of top 10 bestselling smartphones for 2022, according to a market-research firm. In fact, Apple makes the three most popular models.
But Samsung’s flagship Android device surely lands at least one spot in the top 10, right? Nope.
iPhone 13 was the bestselling handset of 2022
When looking at total numbers, Android outsells iPhone. But sales of handsets running Google’s OS are split among so many companies that no Android device sells enough to really compete with the popularity of individual iPhone models.
“Apple’s iPhone 13 was the best-selling smartphone of 2022, contributing 28% of iPhone sales,” reported Harshit Rastogi, an analyst with Counterpoint Research. “It was the best-selling smartphone in major markets such as China, US, UK, Germany and France.”
There was a significant gap between first and second place. “iPhone 13 sales were two times more than that of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the second best-selling smartphone in 2022,” according to Rastogi.
In third place in the most popular handsets among global buyers in 2022 was the iPhone 14 Pro Max, indicating a change in buying habits. The model didn’t debut until September but quickly outstripped other phones. “It was the top-selling smartphone model for September, October and November of 2022,” noted Rastogi, which means it outsold all the other iPhone 14 variants.
Other Apple models also on Counterpoint Research’s top 10 list are the iPhone 13 Pro (5), iPhone 12 (6), iPhone 14 (7), iPhone 14 Pro (8) and iPhone SE 2022 (9).
Chart: Counterpoint Research
Two inexpensive Androids make the list
Apple is the first brand to capture eight spots in Counterpoint’s list of top 10 bestselling smartphones, leaving space for Samsung to slip in a couple of Androids.
However, neither is one of the Korean company’s flagship S22 series released in 2022. Instead, a pair of entry-level devices made the list: the Galaxy A13 and Galaxy A03. These are so basic they don’t even have 5G cellular networking.
Other research already showed that high-end Androids don’t sell particularly well. At least not in comparison to iPhone. In the $400-and-up range, iPhone outsells Android almost two to one.
The Android versus iPhone battle matters for more than bragging rights. Third-party app developers decide which platform to support based on their relative popularity. The same goes for smartphone accessory-makers.
