Why it matters: What do you think was the most popular phone worldwide in 2021? If you said it was from Apple, you'd be right. In fact, the five best-sellers were all iPhones on a list dominated by Cupertino. As for the top Android device, it was from Samsung, but not one of its flagships.
Counterpoint Research published its list of the best-selling smartphones of 2021, and it's good news for Apple. iPhones take up seven of the ten spots on the list, with the iPhone 12 sitting in the number one position, accounting for 2.9% of global sales.
Only two Android makers made it onto the list---Samsung and Xiaomi. The highest non-Apple device was the Samsung Galaxy A12 (2%), an entry-level handset that boasts a 5,000 mAh battery and Infinity-V display.
In addition to features such as a quad-camera setup and fingerprint sensor, the Galaxy A12's sub-$200 price has made it popular across multiple markets, including North America, Latin America, and Western Europe. It's expected that the successor, the Galaxy A13 (5G), will continue the line's popularity.
Sitting beneath the Galaxy A12 are the Xiaomi Redmi 9A (1.9%) and the Xiaomi Redmi 9 in tenth place (1.1%). The phones made up 22% of the brand's total sales, with China, India, and Asia-Pacific named as the top markets.
There were more than 4,200 smartphone models in the global market in 2021, giving users plenty of choices based on their needs and budgets.
Apple will doubtlessly dominate the chart again this year. The newly announced iPhone SE 2022 may have been given a $30 price increase, taking it to $429.99, but it offers an A15 Bionic SoC, improved battery life, and 5G connectivity, making it an appealing prospect for those who want high-end features on a phone that doesn't cost close to, or over, $1,000.