March 10, 2023, 12:03 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Everyone has a smartphone in hand. But which is the most popular? A market research company took a close look at global sales and created a ranking of the best-selling smartphones. Only two manufacturers are represented in the top 10, with one clearly dominating. TECHBOOK shows all the rankings.
Which smartphones were sold the most in 2022? The answer is clear: iPhones. As analysts from Counterpoint Research, a U.S. market research firm, reveal, phones with the iOS operating system accounted for the highest share of all smartphone sales worldwide. Besides the clearly dominant manufacturer Apple, only one other made it into the top 10–Samsung.
Overview
Best-Selling Smartphones–Apple Takes 8 Spots in the Top 10
Here is the top 10 overview:
iPhone 13 by Far the Best-Selling Device
As the list shows, the iPhone 13 was by far the best-selling smartphone worldwide last year. According to the report, the model accounted for about 28 percent of global smartphone purchases, especially in China, the U.S., the UK, Germany, and France. Sales have remained consistently high since the device’s launch. However, its appeal apparently increased further when it became cheaper about a year later with the release of its successor model in September 2022. The second place is held by the iPhone 13 Max, which sold only half as much.
Counterpoint Research highlights that for the first time in the sales year considered, the Pro Max variant of an iPhone was purchased more frequently than the base model. Thus, the iPhone 14 Pro Max was the best-selling smartphone worldwide in September 2022 (ranked third), while the iPhone 14 was relatively far behind in seventh place. Its faster processor was likely a decisive factor, as the 14 base variant otherwise offered no significant advantages over the previous model.
Also interesting: The iPhone 14 is here–and I’m glad I have an iPhone 13
These Are the Best-Selling Smartphones of 2026 So Far
Current Smartphone Models That Emit the Most Radiation
The Best-Selling Samsung Device Was Temporarily Available for 129 Euros
Ranked fourth is a Samsung device. And not one from the higher-priced and technically upgraded Galaxy S series, but the more affordable Galaxy A13. It was available in Germany last September for around 129 euros at a discount retailer. Another Samsung entry-level model, the Galaxy A03, made it to tenth place–incidentally, the cheapest device in the entire ranking. With two devices in the top 10, Samsung is represented twice as often in the current list as in 2021.
Old iPhone Still More Popular Than Many New Android Devices
The oldest smartphone in this year’s ranking was the iPhone 12, which was the best-selling smartphone in 2021, and currently ranks sixth, still very high. In contrast, Android devices from companies like Google and Xiaomi did not make it into the top 10 at all.