The 10 best-selling smartphones of 2022, revealed

Apple took eight spots in the list of top phones

Apple launched its iPhone 14 series in September to attract high-spending and budget-conscious consumers. Reuters

The iPhone manufacturer Apple has captured eight spots on the list of the 10 best-selling smartphones of last year, according to a report by Counterpoint Research.

Cupertino, California-based Apple dominated the list, taking the top three spots. The iPhone 13 was the best-selling model, followed by the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The iPhone 13, which was launched in September 2021, contributed about 28 per cent of total iPhone sales last year, Counterpoint said. However, the research company did not release the number of units sold.

iPhone 13 smartphones in new alpine green on display at an Apple store in Covent Garden in London. Bloomberg

It was the best-selling smartphone in major markets such as China, the US, the UK, Germany and France, and about twice as many were sold as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the second best-selling smartphone of last year.

“Price cuts after the iPhone 14 series’ launch [in September last year] further drove the iPhone 13 volumes in developing markets,” said Harshit Rastogi, research analyst at Counterpoint.

“The iPhone 14 Pro Max was the top-selling smartphone model for September, October and November of 2022.

“The iPhone 14 Pro Max sales were led by early adopters and those upgrading to a higher iPhone variant.

“Major advancements in the iPhone 14 Pro series, such as dynamic island and faster processor, make it more attractive, as the base model [iPhone 14] is almost identical to the previous year’s model.”

On Tuesday, Apple announced a new yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, adding more colour choices to its latest line-up.

The top 10 smartphones contributed 19 per cent of total global smartphone sales last year, the same as in 2021.

The remaining two spots were taken by Samsung Galaxy A13 (fourth) and Galaxy A03 (10th).

“With its entry-level models Galaxy A13 and Galaxy A03, Samsung took two spots on the list, one more than the previous year [2021],” Mr Rastogi said.

“Offering attractive specifications for its price [less than $250], the Galaxy A13 continued to perform well. [The] Caribbean and Latin America, followed by India, contributed the most to its sales.”

The Galaxy A03 was the least expensive smartphone on the list and it performed well in developing regions such as the Caribbean and Latin America as well as the Middle East and Africa.

Samsung unveiled three new Galaxy phones, the S23 Ultra, S23+ and S23, last month. Bloomberg

Apple is in a battle for dominance in the global smartphone market with South Korean company Samsung and Chinese brand Xiaomi.

Samsung led the industry with a market share of about 21.6 per cent last year and produced 260.9 million handsets during the period, according to Massachusetts-based research company International Data Corporation.

It was followed by Apple, which produced 226.4 million handsets and had a market share of 18.8 per cent, and Xiaomi, with 153.1 million handsets and a market share of 12.7 per cent.

However, in the fourth quarter of last year, Samsung was relegated to the number-two spot by the iPhone maker. Apple sold 72.3 million iPhones and accounted for a 24.1 per cent market share in the last quarter, while Samsung sold 58.2 million phones and had a 19.4 per cent market share.

“We believe the share of the top 10 smartphones will increase in 2023 as brands focus on clearing inventory and optimising their launches … we also expect brands to continue making their portfolios leaner in 2023 to minimise cannibalisation,” Mr Rastogi said.

The number of active smartphone models on the global market dropped to 3,600 last year from more than 4,200 in 2021.

10 best-selling smartphones of 2022

• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• Galaxy A13
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone SE 2022
• Galaxy A03