iPhone XR STILL the best selling phone of 2019

[DrMacintosh]

It would appear that the iPhone XR (launched Q4 2018) has managed to snag the title of the most sold smartphone in Q3 2019, putting it as the best-selling smartphone of fiscal quarter 2019 so far.

 

Quote

According to Counterpoint Research’s Market Pulse, the iPhone XR was the top-selling model globally in Q3 2019, capturing 3% market share. In fact, except for the launch quarter in September 2018, iPhone XR has been the top-selling model globally in every quarter since Q4 2018. The XR alone contributed to over one-quarter of the total Apple sales during the quarter, making it the best-selling model for Apple across all regions. Apple also adjusted the price of the iPhone XR in China and several other markets, which helped keep demand strong during the quarter. The iPhone 11 also made its debut in the top 10 within the launch quarter. -Counterpoint Research

The iPhone XR tops the short list of popular smartphones this year:

• iPhone XR
• Samsung Galaxy A10
• Samsung Galaxy A50
• Oppo A9
• iPhone 11
• Oppo A5s
• Samsung Galaxy A20
• Oppo A5
• Xiaomi Redmi A7
• Huawei P30

Of note is that there are two iPhone models on this list. The successor to the XR, the iPhone 11, managed to snag 5th place. The explanation for the number of A Series of Galaxy devices is that Samsung discontinued their J Series of smartphones and dropped the prices of the A Series. This probably boosted public perception of the overall quality of Samsung Devices seeing as the J Series of smartphones were all of very poor quality. 

Quote

Samsung had three models in the top 10, all from the A series. Samsung discontinued its J series and brought the A series to lower price tiers. A series had a more premium perception than the J series. The new devices came with competing specs and design features, affordable price and Samsung’s strong brand perception (especially in the mid-segment) which provided an excellent value proposition to consumers. This was also strategically aligned with global trade-up trend. The A-series also gained some share from HONOR. However, there were no flagships from Samsung in the top 10 list. -Counterpoint Research

 

I find it extremely interesting that last years mid-range iPhone is still managing to top the sales charts so long after its successor. the iPhone 11 (which is only $50 more expensive) was released. The still impressive battery life, vibrant color options, vivid and bright LCD display, and impressive single shooter camera have managed to allow the iPhone XR to outperform every other handset to this day. Apple was extremely wise to retain the iPhone XR going into 2019. 

 

The massive success of these mid-range smartphones prove opinions echoed by Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech which suggest that the smartphone market does not demand innovation, it demands compromise. The iPhone XR and iPhone 11 are the embodiment of compromise, and they are making Apple a whole lot of money. 

 

A 64GB iPhone XR can still be purchased for $599, making it the cheapest phone Apple sells aside from the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus which start at $449 and $549 respectively for 64GB models. 

 

Source: https://9to5mac.com/2019/12/24/best-selling-smartphone/

[dizmo]

Samsung wins. They have three in the top ten.

I'm more surprised that Huawei is so far down the list.

 

I see your fanboyism is strong. It hardly beats every other phone out there today.

[DrMacintosh]

6 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Samsung wins. They have three in the top ten.

I mean, if your basis for determining who's winning or not is by how many phones they have that are on the top 10 list.....I guess you could conclude that? It's not like volume of sales, average sale price, and total profits also play into that. Apple earned 66% of the profits in the smartphone market in 2019. Samsung only had 17%. So really....no matter what way you slice it.....Apple won 2019 just like they won 2018, 2017, 2016, etc. Apple is the profit margin king. 

[Dabombinable]

5 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

I mean, if your basis for determining who's winning or not is by how many phones they have that are on the top 10 list.....I guess you could conclude that? It's not like volume of sales, average sale price, and total profits also play into that. Apple earned 66% of the profits in the smartphone market in 2019. No matter what way you slice it, Apple won 2019 like they won 2018, 2017, 2016, etc. Apple is the profit margin king. 

Apple has the highest margins of all manufacturers...that's why total (and annual) profits are so high (and why I'm not surprised).

[dizmo]

3 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

I mean, if your basis for determining who's winning or not is by how many phones they have that are on the top 10 list.....I guess you could conclude that? It's not like volume of sales, average sale price, and total profits also play into that. Apple earned 66% of the profits in the smartphone market in 2019. No matter what way you slice it, Apple won 2019 like they won 2018, 2017, 2016, etc. Apple is the profit margin king. 

They win margin, and perhaps average sale price. They don't win volume of sales.

While Samsung continues growth, Apple is in decline. While it earned that profit in the smartphone market, it's actually 11% less than it was last year.

 

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, Dabombinable said:

Apple has the highest margins of all manufacturers...that's why total (and annual) profits are so high (and why I'm not surprised).

I was just surprised to see that Apple did that again but mainly with a phone that's already a year old. It's impressive. 

[Founders]

The Pixel 4 is not on this list? I'm totally shocked! 

 

It makes sense that the XR is still doing well. People like iPhone's but most people don't necessarily have 700-1000 dollars to shell out for a phone. I believe some cell providers will do a no cost lease on them to either new or even existing customers which definitely helps boost those numbers.  

[DrMacintosh]

7 minutes ago, dizmo said:

They win margin, and perhaps average sale price. They don't win volume of sales.

While Samsung continues growth, Apple is in decline.

You don't see the logical flaw with what you just said? The measure of success of any publicly traded company is how much profits they bring in. Investors don't care about how many units were sold, they care about how much money the company is making. If Apple is making all the money despite only shipping a few units, they are still winning. At the end of the day, the volume of sales you have is meaningless if you aren't making money off of those units. Making only 17% of the smartphone industry profits is not something to feel confident about.  

 

7 minutes ago, dizmo said:

While it earned that profit in the smartphone market, it's actually 11% less than it was last year.

This is true, however what Apple gained from that 11% loss was an increase in the volume of sales which Apple intends to use to sell services like Apple Music to customers. In doing so they will more than make up for the drop in ASP. Apple figured out how they could get more handsets into peoples hands without losing profits (and actually increasing them) overall, Samsung can't do that in their current position. 

 

Apple is playing the long game, Samsung is in a race to the bottom. 

[Guest]

I can't believe people still buy iPhones.

[Morgan MLGman]

Can't believe there are so many people still buying this phone (the XR)... Its screen may be "bright and vivid", but it's IPS and has an embarassingly low resolution so there's that. I'd gladly pick an older X just for the OLED.

 

In my area the XR still costs a bit more than the OnePlus 7T Pro and it's quite clear which phone is a better one considering the specs, or pretty much everything else.

[dizmo]

Just now, DrMacintosh said:

You don't see the logical flaw with what you just said? The measure of success of any publicly traded company is how much profits they bring in. Investors don't care about how many units were sold, they care about how much money the company is making. If Apple is making all the money despite only shipping a few units, they are still winning. At the end of the day, the volume of sales you have is meaningless if you aren't making money off of those units. Making only 17% of the smartphone industry profits is not something to feel confident about.  

 

This is true, however what Apple gained from that 11% loss was an increase in the volume of sales which Apple intends to use to sell services like Apple Music to customers. In doing so they will more than make up for the drop in ASP. 

 

Apple is playing the long game, Samsung is in a race to the bottom. 

If your volume shrinks, then eventually your sales will as well, especially YoY, and that's something no company wants. There's a tipping point where you're profit margins won't combat the sheer number of units sold. This isn't an ultra luxury item where we're going to see Apple sell fewer units but at 10x the amount they're selling them at now because they're "that much better." Profit is profit, if they were in a loss, yes that's true, but they're not.

 

Samsung, if you're looking at the big picture, isn't far behind Apple revenue wise, and invests far more in R&D.

 

No. Apple's shipments were down 4% in Q3 (don't believe Q4 numbers are out yet). So it was not due to a volume increase.

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, Morgan MLGman said:

and it's quite clear which phone is a better one considering the specs, or pretty much everything

What SoC does the OnePlus have? 

[ARikozuM]

Apple got 2 out of 4/5 phones onto the list? Well... damn. I'm still holding onto the SE until the rumored TouchID phones come out. All I want is a nice 5" 1080 screen with a chin and a brow. 

[Founders]

9 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

with a chin and a brow

But why? Get the SE then I guess if that's what your preference is.  

[Blademaster91]

8 minutes ago, Morgan MLGman said:

Can't believe there are so many people still buying this phone (the XR)... Its screen may be "bright and vivid", but it's IPS and has an embarassingly low resolution so there's that. I'd gladly pick an older X just for the OLED.

 

In my area the XR still costs a bit more than the OnePlus 7T Pro and it's quite clear which phone is a better one considering the specs, or pretty much everything else.

Yeah only having an IPS screen,around 828p resolution is definitely low for the $650 price, I know people are going to bring up PPI but the resolution is still low for watching videos,and you can't display a video in full screen without the notch getting in the way. Even in the US where everyone buys iPhones, the OnePlus 7 Pro is still cheaper for the specs, SD855 and a 90hz QHD screen is great for the price IMO.

[williamcll]

14 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

What SoC does the OnePlus have? 

The 7T pro have the 855+ which is faster than A12

[Morgan MLGman]

20 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

What SoC does the OnePlus have? 

Snapdragon 855+. It's hard to argue for the XR in that instance, especially that a QHD+ 90Hz Fluid AMOLED, superior camera setup and the no-notch display make the 7T Pro a better value purchase when the XR is a bit more expensive here for the same storage option. Of course the pricing may vary by region, so keep that in mind

[Himommies]

5 minutes ago, williamcll said:

The 7T pro have the 855+ which is faster than A12

On paper the 855 is faster but in real life tests the A12 is a bit better in most cases since you only have to optimize for a couple of devices.

 

3 minutes ago, Morgan MLGman said:

Snapdragon 855+. It's hard to argue for the XR in that instance, especially that a QHD+ 90Hz Fluid AMOLED, superior camera setup and the no-notch display make the 7T Pro a better value purchase when the XR is a bit more expensive here for the same storage option. Of course the pricing may vary by region, so keep that in mind

Like I feel like this is the wrong argument here, because when in the past 10 years have been a good value proposition? Your paying a lot more for Apples OS and there software integration which IMO makes the XR a better experience as a whole than the Oneplus 

[Morgan MLGman]

1 minute ago, Himommies said:

On paper the 855 is faster but in real life tests the A12 is a bit better in most cases since you only have to optimize for a couple of devices.

Actually that's not true. In regular usage the 7T Pro is faster due to snappier animations, and the perception is even more pronounced because of the 90Hz display.
The fact that it features a much faster UFS 3.0 storage also helps in that case.

2 minutes ago, Himommies said:

Your paying a lot more for Apples OS and there software integration which IMO makes the XR a better experience as a whole than the Oneplus 

That highly depends. If you have other Apple devices, then maybe. It's still an inferior phone though, there's really no denying it

4 minutes ago, Himommies said:

because when in the past 10 years have been a good value proposition?

IDK, I feel like the iPhone SE was a great phone, actually IMO the best one from Apple since the first two iPhones and ever since then.

[Himommies]

3 minutes ago, Morgan MLGman said:

IDK, I feel like the iPhone SE was a great phone, actually IMO the best one from Apple since the first two iPhones and ever since then.

It was a pretty good phone, but like spec wise I don't remember it trading blows spec wise

 

4 minutes ago, Morgan MLGman said:

In regular usage the 7T Pro is faster due to snappier animations, and the perception is even more pronounced because of the 90Hz display.

Like Oneplus is a exception here. I love there almost no-existent animations and wish that every manufacturer would have a way to do that without it looking weird. 

Also apparently I was wrong. The A12 wins even in raw strength 

[Morgan MLGman]

8 minutes ago, Himommies said:

Like Oneplus is a exception here. I love there almost no-existent animations and wish that every manufacturer would have a way to do that without it looking weird. 

Also apparently I was wrong. The A12 wins even in raw strength 

The OnePlus is faster than a Qualcomm reference device Also, the OnePlus 7T Pro runs an overclocked version of the SD 855 called the SD 855 Plus so there's that.

 

Edit: Also, Geekbench - ugh...

[DildorTheDecent]

42 minutes ago, Morgan MLGman said:

but it's IPS and has an embarassingly low resolution so there's that.

Normies don't care. The XR also comes in pretty colours. The X and 11 do not.

 

[captain_to_fire]

44 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

All I want is a nice 5" 1080 screen with a chin and a brow. 

The rumored iPhone SE 2 was said to retain the same screen size (4.7”)  and resolution (326 ppi) of the regular iPhone 6s/7/8 but with the same A13 Bionic and same primary camera as the iPhone 11. Will probably launch the same time as WWDC 2020.
 

But it would be nice if they use 5” and 1080p. 

[niofalpha]

1 hour ago, dizmo said:

Samsung wins. ... I see your fanboyism is strong.

How can people lack self awareness *THIS* Hard?

[Soppro]

I honestly prefer the colours of the XR over the 11