Apple Had the Top Seven Best Selling Smartphones in 2023 [Chart]

Apple had the top seven best selling smartphones in 2023, for the first time, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research. The remaining three spots in the top ten went to Samsung. Counterpoint notes that there have been no other brands in the top ten since 2021 and that the combined market share of the top ten devices reached a new high of 20% in 2023, up from 19% in 2022.

Apple's iPhone 14 was the best-selling smartphone of 2023, with the US and China making up half of its sales. Further, the model contributed 19% of the total iPhone sales for 2023, down from the 2022 bestseller iPhone 13's 28% share. Limited differentiation between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 led to lower adoption of the base variant and increased sales of the iPhone Pro variants, which offer substantial upgrades like Dynamic Island, a more advanced chipset and a higher display refresh rate. The iPhone 15 series took the top three spots on the global bestseller list for Q4 2023, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max becoming the best-selling smartphone.

Most major brands saw their total sales decline in 2023; however, Apple has been able to keep sales flat. This is partly due to a boost in sales from emerging markets like India, the Middle East, and Africa. Last year, India became the fifth market to exceed 10 million in iPhone sales, helping the iPhone 15 series match the sales of the iPhone 14. The iPhone 13 is the oldest model in the top ten, coming in fourth position. It saw double-digit year over year growth in Japan and India likely due to carrier promotions in Japan and its value proposition in India.


Notably, none of Samsung flagship S models made the list.

Samsung's budget A series captured three spots in the top-10 list due to its strong value proposition and presence across various geographies and customer categories. The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G secured eighth place driven by high sales in the US and India. Notably, it was the best-selling smartphone in India for 2023. The only LTE-capable smartphones in the list, the Samsung Galaxy A04e and A14 4G secured the remaining two places thanks to their affordability driving sales in emerging markets like Brazil, India, Mexico and Indonesia.

Counterpoint expects this year's top ten to represent a larger proportion of total smartphones sales as brands focus on leaner portfolios. It also expects all models to support 5G and Chinese brands to enter the list.

More details in the full report linked below...


Read More