Apple continues to dominate the worldwide smartphone market as seven of the 10 most shipped smartphone models in 2023 were iPhones, according to market research conducted by Canalys (via GizChina).
The top five spots were all dominated by iPhone models, including the base iPhone 13 released in 2021 with 23 million shipped units. The iPhone 14 Pro Max clenched the top spot as the most popular smartphone model worldwide with 34 million shipped units, narrowly edging the iPhone 15 Pro Max which came in second place with 33 million units. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro shared the third spot with 29 million units shipped each.
The iPhone 15 Pro came in seventh with 21 million shipped units during its availability from September to December. The last iPhone model in the top 10 list is the iPhone 15 with over 17 million units. Once again, the iPhone Plus models are absent from the list, indicating the market’s continued poor appetite for Apple’s bigger non-Pro devices.
The three remaining spots were all claimed by Samsung smartphones, Canalys’ data shows. However, none of them belonged to its flagship Galaxy S devices and were instead occupied by entry-level models. The Galaxy A14 4G came in sixth place with 21 million shipped units, the same figure as the iPhone 15 Pro. The Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A14 5G came in eighth and ninth respectively, with 20 million and 19 million units each.
The numbers suggest a strong sales momentum for the iPhone 15 and earlier models as suggested by Apple’s fiscal Q1 2024 results, where the iPhone generated $69.7 billion in revenue. However, Apple could find itself in impeding trouble with the iPhone 16 if its rumored lackluster changes and absence of meaningful AI features come to fruition, which could result in a significant shipments decline this year.
