Apple’s IPhone XR Was Most Popular Smartphone In 2019 Based On Shipment Estimates

Samsung shipped 10.7 million devices for 29.3 percent market share, while LG shipped 4.8 million devices and Lenovo shipped 2.4 million devices. Overall North American smartphone shipments were down an estimated 18 percent during Q1 2019, totaling 36.4 million shipments.

Apple's iPhone XR was the most popular smartphone in the world in 2019, based on its number of shipments. Even though iPhone XR was launched in 2018, it beat all other smartphones in the world in 2019, including Apple's other iPhone models, by shipping 46.3 million units.

These shipping estimates, courtesy of research firm Omdia, show that iPhone XR managed to double its number of unit shipments from 2018. In 2018, iPhone XR sold an estimated number of 23.1 million units, while in 2019, it doubled to 46.3 million units. Despite the price cut in 2019, iPhone XR sells for $599, which is not the cheapest phone in the world. Yet it beats the likes of Samsung Galaxy A10, and A20, which are low-end smartphones and sell for less than $200. Even iPhone 11, which sells for $699, is number 2 on the list and beats Samsung's low-end smartphones.

While Apple accounted for first place and second place, Samsung rounded out the top 5 with the Galaxy A10, Galaxy A50, and Galaxy A20. The iPhone 11 Pro Max was the sixth most popular smartphone with 17.6 million shipments, followed by the iPhone 8 at 17.4 million.

Apple's master stroke in 2019 was slashing the price on the iPhone XR. The iPhone XR went on to dominate the global smartphone market last year according to new data from Omidia. Not was just the most popular, the iPhone XR was also the most shipped smartphone worldwide in 2019.

The iPhone XR was Apple's best selling 2018 model. It also became the top-selling and the most popular smartphone globally in Q3 2019. As of September 2020, the iPhone XR has sold 77.4 million units worldwide, making it the eighth best-selling smartphone of all time.[25][26]

As 9to5Mac reports(Opens in a new window), Counterpoint Research estimates that the iPhone XR was the best-selling smartphone in the first three quarters of the year. It's also the most popular iPhone model in every region globally.

Still, Samsung dominates in total sales, with midrange devices like Galaxy A10 and the Galaxy A50 leading the pack and helping it stay ahead of popular Chinese competitors, according to Counterpoint Research's report(Opens in a new window). Here were the best-selling smartphones in Q3 2019:

The device is also expected to be the best-selling model of the lot. One estimate from longtime Apple analyst Gene Munster indicates that the iPhone XR will make up 38% of the company's iPhone shipments during Apple's fiscal 2019 (which began on Sept. 29, 2018) -- making it, in Munster's words, "the most popular iPhone in 2019." Incidentally, Munster's predictions call for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices to be the second-most-popular iPhones, capturing 28% of unit shipments.

By Sanket Vijayasarathy: The iPhone XR is Apple's cheapest iPhone this year, which made it seem that it would also be the most popular iPhone. But the XR has been receiving a pretty tepid response from Apple fans for a few reasons such as negative impact on consumer confidence over trade war, missing features for the price and competition from Huawei Mate 20 series. These are reasons provided by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in his recent investor note which has also forced him to lower his estimate for the iPhone XR shipments from 100 million to 70 million.

Despite the revised estimates, Kuo believes there is no reason for Apple to panic as some of the decline will be offset by higher demand for the iPhone XS and older "legacy" models like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7. Kuo is reducing his overall iPhone shipment forecast for Q1 of 2019 by 15 to 20 per cent. His prediction for iPhone shipments in the current fourth quarter remains unchanged at 75 to 80 million units.

From the period of January to March in 2019, Apple will see a year-on-year decline in iPhone shipments, Kuo said. His first quarter estimates have been reduced to 47-52 million from 55-60 million. This contradicts Kuo's pre-launch prediction when he said the iPhone XR will outsell the iPhone 8 series in the same period.

Huawei shipped 60.5 million units in Q4 2018, rising 47.7 percent, year over year. The company continued its double-digit y/y growth for the fourth consecutive quarter, growing in most of regions, except North America where Huawei has little exposure. Fast growing markets for Huawei include Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2018, Huawei was able to exceed Apple in unit-based shipments for three consecutive quarters, propelling the Chinese brand to second-ranked position in the market, unseating Apple from its perch. However, the network infrastructure side of Huawei has faced increased scrutiny from the United States and other governments around the world, due to potential security concerns in to roll out of 5G networks.

Meanwhile, Nokia increased its shipments to 15 million units in 2018, up from 5 million units in the previous year. Finland-based HMD Global is operating its Nokia-branded smartphone business, by focusing on mid-range and low-end smartphones in Europe, Asia and Africa. The company will soon expand into North America.

A new report(Opens in a new tab) by Counterpoint Research estimates that India surpassed the United States to become the second largest smartphone market with an estimated 158 million devices shipped to the country in 2019. China is still the global leader at number one. 2b1af7f3a8

Apple’s IPhone XR Was Most Popular Smartphone In 2019 Based On Shipment Estimates

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