Apple once again makes the best-selling phones of the year

Jun 7, 2018 11:30 GMT  ·  By

Apple is once again topping smartphone sales of the year, with new data showing that iPhone X and iPhone 8 are the two best-selling models in the first months of 2018.

IHS Markit says total shipments reached 345.5 million units in the first quarter of the year, and iPhone X was the number one accounting for no less than 12.7 million units.

But despite this strong performance, Apple still sold fewer new iPhones this year as compared to the same period in 2017. IHS Markit says Apple shipped a total of 35.6 million units of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus last year, whereas this year sales of the iPhone X and iPhone 8 reached just 21.2 million units.

Older iPhones selling like hot cakes

This means Apple sells more older iPhones, so the 2018 generation will play a key role to convince users to upgrade. In addition to a successor to the iPhone X and a Plus-sized sibling, Apple is also expected to launch a more affordable version with LCD panel that could contribute to the super-cycle that the company is hoping for.

“Manufacturers are keen on displays, because they are a visible upgrade that can be easily monetized with consumers,” said Jusy Hong, director of consumer devices, for IHS Markit. “These upgrades will also increase Apple’s share of new models this year.”

Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime Plus was the third best-selling model with 8.3 million units, followed by iPhone 8 Plus and Galaxy S9 Plus with 8 million and 7.4 million units, respectively. Chinese companies have failed to enter the top 10 this year, despite increasing their market share worldwide.

“Few individual models from these manufacturers reach comparable scale with Apple and Samsung models. Delay of new model releases from Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo is one reason there aren’t any smartphone models from Chinese manufacturers in the top 10 list,” the research firm concluded.