Apple iPhone Dominates List of Top 10 Best-Selling Smartphones Globally in 2021: Counterpoint

Apple iPhone dominated the list of top 10 best-selling smartphones globally in 2021, according to a report. iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iPhone 13 were amongst the top-selling phones of the year. Apple introduced the iPhone 13 series in 2021 that gained consumer attraction in the fourth quarter. The iPhone 12 series, however, continued to please customers in the market around the globe — thanks to the same design and a list of similarities with the iPhone 13 models. Apart from Apple, Xiaomi, and Samsung were the only two companies that made it to the list of best-selling smartphones in 2021.

Market research firm Counterpoint in its report said that the top five models in 2021 were from Apple. iPhone 12 emerged as the best-selling model, followed by the iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 11. According to the report, the top-three models in the list contributed 41 percent to Apple's total sale.

Alongside capturing the top-five positions, iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone 13 Pro Max also featured among the 10 best-selling smartphones globally in 2021. Counterpoint also noted that the iPhone 13 became the best-selling model in the fourth quarter, followed by the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro.

In addition to Apple, Samsung Galaxy A12 got the sixth position in the global top 10 best-selling smartphones chart.

Counterpoint predicted that the South Korean company would continue the success of the Galaxy A12 with its successor, Galaxy A13 5G, that debuted in the US in December.

Xiaomi's Redmi 9A and Redmi 9 also joined the list in 2021. Both phones contributed 22 percent to the company's total sales, according to the firm.

Global top 10 best-selling smartphones share in 2021
Photo Credit: Counterpoint

Overall, the top 10 best-selling smartphone models contributed 19 percent to the total global smartphone unit sales in 2021. This was three percent up compared with the 16 percent contribution in 2020, Counterpoint said.

The firm also underlined that there were more than 4,200 active smartphone models in the global market in 2021.

“The share of the top 10 models is increasing YoY, indicating a trend of brands focusing on their leading models and making their portfolios leaner in some cases,” Counterpoint Senior Analyst Karn Chauhan said.

He added by saying that with entry-level models facing component shortages in 2021, the market saw faster diffusion of key features in the mid-tier segment.