The most popular phone of 2019 was iPhone XR as Samsung leads the 5G market
The most popular phone in 2019 was the Apple iPhone XR. According to data provided by Omdia, there were more units of iPhone XR shipped compared to its predecessor and its successor. 46.3 million XR phones were shipped last year, and 23.1 million were shipped in 2018.
Omdia claims that the increased number of units shipped is due to the increased prices of Apple products, pointing out that iPhone 11 launched in 2019 is %50 more expensive than the iPhone 7 launched in 2016, considering the base prices of the phones. Besides, that has been a drastic increase in the maximum price for a fully loaded flagship.
For instance, iPhone 7 Plus has moved from $970 to $1,450 for an 11 Pro Max, indicating an increase of $480 within three years.
Samsung was in the third position with its entry-level Galaxy A10, which has shipped 30.3 million units. However, the Galaxy A50 and A20 were in the top 5. 2019 flagship Samsung smartphones did not make it to the Top 10 while in 2018, Galaxy S9 and S9+ were at positions seven and eight, respectively.
Redmi Note 7 was a significant success that enabled Xiaomi to join the Top 10 club. Xiaomi is the only phone apart from Samsung and Apple that made it in 2019. Huawei P20 had a similar honor in 2018. The Redmi Note series has gained popularity in the market, increasing from making 10 million shipments in 2017 and 2019 to 16.4 million shipments in 2019, as stated by Omdia.
The growing 5G market saw shipments of 14.7 million units in 2019. Samsung Galaxy 10+ 5G accounted for 2.6 million shipments followed by Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G with 2.5 million shipments. Samsung led the 5G market with 49% of the 5G phones that were shipped in 2019, bearing the Galaxy logo. Huawei followed with 275 shipments, then Vivo and Oppo with 12% and 5% shipments, respectively.
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