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

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

iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iPhone 13 were the most popular smartphones of 2021, according to the Counterpoint report.

By Jagmeet Singh | Updated: 10 March 2022 16:38 IST

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

Photo Credit: Gadgets 360/ Jamshed Avari

iPhone 12 captured 2.9 percent of the total smartphone units sold globally in 2021

Highlights

Apple received contribution of 41 percent from top-three models
iPhone 13 was the best-selling model in the fourth quarter
Samsung Galaxy A12 also emerged amongst the top-10 models in 2021

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.

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iPhone 12

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Very good build quality
Dolby Vision HDR video recording
Excellent cameras
Smooth performance in everyday use

Bad
Battery life could be better
Gets warm when stressed

Read detailed Apple iPhone 12 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A14 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 64GB

OS iOS 14

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 12 Pro Max

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Excellent build quality
Immersive display
Very good battery life
Versatile cameras
Speedy performance

Bad
Can be uncomfortable to hold
Heats up when gaming
Very expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Apple A14 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 128GB

OS iOS 14

Resolution 1284x2778 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 13

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Great performance
Versatile cameras
Sharp, bright display
Good battery life

Bad
Standard display refresh rate, intrusive notch
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone 13 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A15 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 15

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 12 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Solid build quality
Excellent display
Dolby Vision video recording
Snappy overall performance
All-day battery life

Bad
Heats up when gaming
Not differentiated much from iPhone 12
Not great value

Read detailed Apple iPhone 12 Pro review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A14 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 64GB

OS iOS 14

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 11

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Best-in-class performance
Excellent battery life
Great cameras
Night Mode is a welcome addition
iOS offers regular, timely updates

Bad
Low-resolution display
Slow bundled charger
No PiP or other software features that utilise the big screen

Read detailed Apple iPhone 11 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A13 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3110mAh

OS iOS 13

Resolution 828x1792 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

Choose a variant

Samsung Galaxy A12

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.50-inch

Processor MediaTek Helio P35 (MT6765)

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 5-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 10

Resolution 720x1600 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Apple, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 11, Samsung Galaxy A12, Redmi 9A, Redmi 9, Xiaomi, Counterpoint