Apple's iPhone XR Was Most Popular Smartphone in 2019 Based on Shipment Estimates

The iPhone XR was the world's most popular smartphone in 2019, with Apple outshipping all other smartphone models, according to new data shared today by research firm Omdia.

iphone xr colors splash
Apple shipped an estimated 46.3 million ‌iPhone‌ XR units in 2019, which is more than double the 23.1 million units shipped in 2018. ‌iPhone‌ XR shipments were also nine million units higher than the second most popular model, which was Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 11. Apple shipped an estimated 37.3 million ‌iPhone‌ 11 models.

omdiashipmentestimates
After the ‌iPhone‌ XR and ‌iPhone‌ 11, the Galaxy A10 was the third most popular smartphone, with Samsung shipping 30.3 million units. The Samsung A50, Samsung A20, and iPhone 11 Pro Max came in fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

"Apple has consistently owned the first and second positions in the global smartphone model shipment ranking, with the company maintaining this dominant position for more than five years running," said Jusy Hong, smartphone research and analysis director at Omdia. "The company's continued dominance on this front is all the more remarkable when considering that Apple's price hikes caused overall iPhone shipments to decline last year. By limiting the number of models it offers compared to its top competitors, Apple has been able to concentrate its sales on a few smartphones that have broad appeal, like the iPhone XR."

Apple has continued selling the ‌iPhone‌ XR alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro as a lower cost option, priced starting at $599. The ‌iPhone‌ XR is $100 cheaper than the $699 starting price point of the ‌iPhone‌ 11.

Omdia is a research firm that was established following the merger of the research division of Informa Tech and the IHS Markit technology research portfolio.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

NickName99 Avatar
53 months ago
I like how the XR is #1, and the iPhone 11 is #2. Both have the 6.1” display that so many nerds were complaining wasn’t 1080p or OLED.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
53 months ago
I'm not surprised by Apple's performance on this list.

Apple is the #3 smartphone OEM in the world by sales... so they obviously sell a lot of phones in general. Plus they only sell a handful of individual models... and it makes sense that their affordable iPhone XR had the top spot.

But what is a surprise is that not a single "flagship" Samsung phone is on that list.

For all the advertising Samsung does... and all the hullabaloo about cameras, OLED displays, reverse wireless charging, tiny bezels, etc... it's their budget models that sell the most.

A phone had to sell at least 15.2 million units to even be on this list.

So that means no Galaxy S10 model sold 15.2 million units throughout the entire year. That's wild.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
53 months ago
Remember the time when some bozos thought the XR wouldn’t sell?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
53 months ago
I’m just glad that this data proves we can finally move on from all the “everyone wants the old tiny screens back” chatter around this place. When the best selling phone has a 6.1” display it’s time to leave the 3.5” and 4” screens in the past.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Braderunner Avatar
53 months ago

I’m just glad that this data proves we can finally move on from all the “everyone wants the old tiny screens” chatter around this place. When the best selling phone has a 6.1” display it’s time to leave the 3.5” and 4” screens in the past.
Nobody wants an “old tiny” screen. There are people, however, who want a smaller phone.
Especially since its now possible to fit a ”new larger” screen on a phone the size of the “old pocketable“ phones. Think different. For everyone else...there’s Samesung.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
incoherent_1 Avatar
53 months ago

I’m just glad that this data proves we can finally move on from all the “everyone wants the old tiny screens back” chatter around this place. When the best selling phone has a 6.1” display it’s time to leave the 3.5” and 4” screens in the past.
I’m also glad this data proves we can finally move on from people wanting to buy a neon orange iPhone. I mean, they don’t sell a neon orange iPhone, but they don’t sell a modern smaller-screened iPhone either, so why not just make wild assumptions about that too? /s
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
iPhone 15 General Feature Green

Apple Says These New iOS Features Are Coming Later This Year

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:45 am PDT by
Apple has previously announced three new iOS features that it said are coming to the iPhone later this year, as outlined below. The new features include the ability to install iPhone apps on the web in the EU, RCS support in the Messages app, and next-generation CarPlay. Web Distribution Apple recently announced that eligible developers will soon be able to distribute their iOS apps to ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

Seven Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Tuesday March 19, 2024 5:20 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
maxresdefault

iOS 18 Rumored to Feature 'More Customizable' Home Screen

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:10 am PDT by
iOS 18 will feature a revamped Home Screen that is "more customizable," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He revealed this information in his Power On newsletter today, but he did not provide any specific details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will announce iOS 18 at its annual developers conference WWDC in June. Other features and changes rumored for...
combine images

Top Stories: iOS 18's Generative AI Features to Rely on Google?, Latest on New iPads, and More

Saturday March 23, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
We're getting closer to the launch of new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, while rumors about iOS 18 are continuing to ramp up with this week's surprise revelation that Apple has been talking to Google and others about potentially helping power the generative AI features expected to be a major part of this year's update. Other news this week saw the release of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1...