Apple iPhone Xr was the top-selling smartphone of 2019
What's the story
Apple's bid to offer an affordable iPhone experience with iPhone Xr finally appears to be paying off. A study conducted by Counterpoint Research has revealed that the cheapest of all 2018 iPhones outsold every other smartphone in the market throughout 2019 and has taken the spot of the top-selling smartphone of the year. Here's all you need to know about it.
Research
iPhone Xr outsold all other iPhones
Except for the launch quarter ending September 2018, iPhone Xr has been the top-selling iPhone from Apple in every quarter of 2018 and 2019. And, it was not just Apple, iPhone Xr outsold every other smartphone - across all brands in the market - throughout the year, seemingly indicating that people around the world are still shy of spending over $1,000 on a smartphone.
Stats
3% smartphone market captured in Q3 2019
As for Q3 2019 (ending June), iPhone Xr dominated the game with a significant 3% global market share. It was followed by Samsung Galaxy A10, Galaxy A50, OPPO A9, and the iPhone 11 (among other devices), but none of them matched the 3% mark. Surprisingly, Samsung's S and Note-series and OnePlus's budget flagships didn't even make to the top 10.
Sales
iPhone Xr made over 25% of Apple's iPhone sales
Though Apple has stopped releasing the exact sales figure, the estimate taken by Counterpoint indicates that the iPhone Xr alone contributed to more than 25% of Apple's global iPhone sales in the third quarter. This was probably why the Cupertino giant decided to push the phone further by cutting its price down in leading smartphone markets like India and China.
Possibility
Now, this indicates a bright future for Apple's hardware category
The growing popularity and sales of the iPhone Xr certainly indicate growth for Apple. The company has been marred by poor sales, but given that people like the idea of a budget iPhone, doubling down on iPhone Xr and iPhone 11 could be the key to bring things back on track. Not to mention, there's an affordable iPhone SE2 in the works, as well.