Remember the days when Apple only used to sell two or three different iPhone models at the same time? That number has steadily grown over the years as the mobile industry in its entirety is favoring product diversity and choice more and more, with a grand total of eight iOS handsets currently being available directly from the Cupertino-based tech giant in the US, for instance.
Eight just so happens to also be the incredible number of iPhones that proved immensely popular around the world in 2022, up from an already impressive seven back in 2021. The 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max variants that Apple discontinued after unveiling the iPhone 14 family are of course on the list of the year's ten best-selling mobile devices, unlike the iPhone 13 mini or 14 Plus.
Yes, the "regular" iPhone 13 was 2022's biggest mobile hit, followed at a pretty lofty distance by the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max giants. How did the global podium look at the end of 2021? Somewhat similar, although the non-Pro iPhone 12 was followed more closely by the jumbo-sized 12 Pro Max and... the base iPhone 13 model.
The non-Pro iPhone 14 is clearly proving significantly less popular than its predecessor, merely occupying the seventh spot among the top ten handsets of 2022, but that's actually a very encouraging sign for Apple's financial health.
That's because the iPhone 14 Pro Max evidently got off to a much stronger start than its own forerunner, leading the worldwide sales chart in September, October, and November 2022 before slipping to second place in December. That's a considerably costlier device than the "vanilla" iPhone 14, undoubtedly generating larger profits for Apple.
Of course, the company can be very happy with the 2022 sales volumes of the less lucrative iPhone 12 and iPhone SE 3 as well, both of which had their own crucial contribution to those record-setting eight spots Apple filled on the world's top ten smartphone list.
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The iPhone 12 didn't exactly finish the year on a high note, dropping well below the top 20 chart during the holiday season, while the iPhone SE (2022) is proving almost surprisingly resilient, which might explain why Apple is in no rush to release a fourth edition of the compact and affordable device.
You will never guess what the most popular Galaxy phone is
Well, you will if you're the least bit familiar with these types of yearly lists, which included the Galaxy A12 in sixth place in 2021 and the Galaxy A51 just behind the 2020 podium.
This time around, the low to mid-end Galaxy A13 sits in the fourth spot overall, while the even humbler Galaxy A03 is ranked tenth and the high-end Galaxy S22 series is (unfortunately for Samsung's bottom line) nowhere to be found.
What must be disappointing for the number one overall smartphone vendor out there is that even upper mid-range models like the Galaxy A53 5G are nowadays far less successful than ultra-premium Pro Max iPhones, although for what it's worth, at least Samsung seems to be getting better at fending off rivals from the likes of Xiaomi in the budget segment.
That's right, Xiaomi is out of the top ten completely this year after scoring two global mentions from Counterpoint Research for 2021 with the Redmi 9A and Redmi 9 mid-rangers. Needless to say that all other smartphone manufacturers are doing... just as well as Xiaomi, bowing to Apple and Samsung as far as the world's top ten hierarchy is concerned.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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