That’s... not what that data proves. I mean, not even a tiny bit.
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Apple's iPhone XR Was Most Popular Smartphone in 2019 Based on Shipment Estimates
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Kinda hard for a 4” iPhone to compete with the iPhone XR when it doesn’t exist.
XR wasn't overpriced with all the great specs. One of the main reasons why I chose XR instead of iPhone X os XS, or other overpriced ones.
But I still consider it too big for my taste. I am waiting for 5.4" one that will be (hopefully) released this year.
But I still consider it too big for my taste. I am waiting for 5.4" one that will be (hopefully) released this year.
I see them literally everywhere. Especially the red one.
We might be able to make the assumption that it was the largest selling iPhone in the range because it was the least stupidly priced of their line?
In 2019 if the XR was/is the best seller due to it being the cheapest that would be wrong as the iPhone 8 is the cheapest being sold in the 2019 lineup.
"Stupidly priced" is relative. You can say the S20 Ultra starting at $1399 is "stupidly priced" in comparison too. Does it do anything "more" for $300 more?
Yes, the SHHHPECS! But beyond that real-life usage to the average phone buyer paying WAY under $1k for a phone by the listed model price points.
And in that same line of thought, is the Fold worth $2k and Huawei Mate X worth $2500?
Worth is what someone will pay and clearly there are tens of millions by the chart that paid $1k+ for their phone; 33+ million people. Since there no other $1k+ models on that list, clearly Apple can move them at that price.
And that is 33 million $1,000-1,500 phones is in only 3 months of 2019 they were out, since this is 2019 only it appears. That is nothing to scoff at.
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Nobody wants 3.4 or 4 inch screens back, and nobody has argued for them. I literally have never seen this once. What I have seen over and over however is that some people want a full-screen device with an iPhone SE/5 (or slightly larger) form factor. Some people like to have a device they can use with one hand. Others don't or don't care, and that's fine – they have those options available. But the fact that the best-selling model had a 6.1" full-screen display while also being the cheapest model in that lineup doesn't prove anything with regard to size when there was no scaled-down full-screen alternative to compare to at a similar price point, and there never has been.
Well I don't know about the characterization of "least stupidly priced" but I do think it's fair to say that Apple has some experience (and a lot more knowledge than most of us) to be able price optimally.
That, plus, there's kind some basic economics at play. The lower priced models (though not necessarily lowest priced*) sell better than the higher priced models.
*Because price is not the only factor people consider of course. So it seems lots of people wanted the most up-to-date iPhone at the lowest price. Apple created a smartly designed product line.
I love my iPhone XR, I think it’s my favourite phone I’ve owned. The value I feel like you get for spending a little less money is worth the trade offs and I still get most of the newest features and the ecosystem. Well done Apple.
I was one of the "I want the smaller form factor" folks (and might consider it if they reappear) but after upgrading from an SE to an 11...I'm surprised by two things: 1) how quickly I've gotten comfortable with the larger size and, 2) how tiny the SE (now used just to play music around the house now) feels.
Very surprised.
You hang out with the wrong kinds of people. At least hang out with people who make fun of you for having big ears or something.
Thank goodness it wasn’t Samsung’s iPhone XR that took the top prize. It had to be a close one.
Don't forget... this list is the best-selling individual models from last year.
But there are over 100 companies selling 2,000 different smartphone models in the world.
I would say the Chinese brands do have a big chunk of overall sales across many models. And if there was a list showing that... you'd see it.
But this is not that list.
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The new SE2 will be an even better value, I can’t wait. And most likely will become the beat selling phone of the year!
It’s interesting to consider how many people are resistant to using a slightly larger iPhone 6/7/8 size phone from a 5S/SE size phone. I suspect many could also get used to or become comfortable with that size difference if they used it for 3-4 weeks.
I suspect if Apple doesn’t believe there’s a market larger than 15-17M annual sales for a 5S sized phone, especially if they have a $550-600 price new, they would not bother to engineer and produce it. It is about scale, market, and demand here as always.
The lower priced iPhone 9/SE2 is content and size created to a price point to compete in the $400-500 price range for emerging markets like India, China and others to introduce iOS ecosystem to a whole new demographic. Additional services and accessories products revenue wil partly compensate for the lower initial price.
Unlikely to say the least. People want larger displays, even if those phones are more expensive. Have you forgotten about the SE?
According to Canalys Research, the 2019 mainland China market was 368M units with Huawei selling 132M into that market. However, the bulk of those were 4G phones and shipped into seller inventory, so it’s guessed there will be a sales lag into 2020 as sellers work off that inventory. Also, even though Huawei is big, it has lost access to the US market and it’s ROW sales are hampered by non-access to Google Play store and Google Android.
Huawei, per gsmarena, also had at least >20 current phones on sale in 2019, using Samsung’s multimodel and price range approach, so if each model sold 10M phones worldwide on average, they could surpass Apple’s total volume yet never have a phone in the individual model Top 10. I suspect Counterpoint Research, which also publishes a similar monthly, quarterly, and annual sales roundup will have a slightly different Top 10.