Apple’s iPhone will dominate smartphone sales in 2022

The iPhone was at the top of the list of best-selling smartphones for 2022 by a large margin.

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Apple’s iPhone range has always been popular with consumers, with models often appearing high on sales charts. In a new global ranking of best-selling smartphones in 2022, Apple has managed to dominate the board again.

According to Counterpoint Research’s list of the Global Top 10 Smartphones, which uses data from the analyst firm’s Global Monthly Handset Model Sales Tracker, iPhones take eight of the places, including the top three positions.

The iPhone 13 Pro was fifth with 1.6%, the iPhone 12 sixth with 1.5%, iPhone 14 seventh with 1.4% and the iPhone 14 Pro eighth with 1.2%. The 2022 iPhone SE rounds out Apple’s ninth-place occupation at 1.1%.

The only other supplier on the list was Samsung, with the old rival taking fourth place with the Galaxy A13 with 1.6% and tenth with the Galaxy A03 with 1.1%.

[Counterpoint]

The sales performance of the iPhone 13 has been spectacular, ranking first from January to August, before descending to a respectable 4th place monthly. Counterpoint also says it was the best-selling smartphone in markets like China, UK, US, Germany and France.

It also marked the first time a Pro Max variant generated more volume than other models in the same generation, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max doing just that with firsts in September to November. Early adopters and those who upgrade to a higher variant are cited as contributors to its success.

“We believe the share of the top 10 smartphones will increase in 2023 as brands focus on cleaning inventory and optimizing their launches,” Counterpoint predicts for the year ahead.

The company continued, warning: “We also expect brands to continue to slim down their portfolios in 2023 to minimize cannibalization. The number of active smartphone models in the global market has already dropped from over 4,200 in 2021 to about 3,600 in 2022.”

While this could apply to most of the smartphone market, Apple’s continued success will likely lead it to continue to offer its usual line of products.

The 2022 results mirror similar rankings for 2021, when Counterpoint said the iPhone made seven positions on the list, including the block of the top five positions.