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Looking for a new phone? This is the most popular device in the world right now

Dial it in: the new iPhone 11 comes in six colours: Apple
Dial it in: the new iPhone 11 comes in six colours: Apple

Smartphone sales may be down during the coronavirus pandemic but that hasn’t stopped one company from reigning supreme.

Apple’s iPhone 11 has been named the most popular smartphone in the world right now, according to Omdia’s Smartphone Model Market Tracker report from the first quarter of 2020, overtaking the iPhone XR for the first time.

Between January - March, Apple shipped 19.5 million iPhone 11 models, much higher than last year’s figures for the iPhone XR when the company shipped nearly 6 million units of the more affordable device. The lower price of the 11 model, combined with a new dual-camera set-up has proved popular amongst consumers.

Despite the entrance of new tech companies like Huawei, Oppo and OnePlus to the scene, Apple has remained either first or second place in the research company’s global shipment ranking. “Apple’s success is the result of its strategy to offer relatively few models,” said Omdia’s director of smartphone research Jusy Hong. “This has allowed the company to focus its efforts on a small number of products that appeal to a broad selection of consumers and sell in extremely high volumes.”

In the latest rankings, all of Apple’s four models made it into the top 10: the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and iPhone 11 Pro ranked first, fifth, sixth, and eighth. This is a much better performance from the tech giant compared to last year when its flagship models, the iPhone XS and XS Max, didn’t make it into the top 10 at all.

Samsung, the overall biggest smartphone maker in the world, managed to also get four models into the top 10: the Galaxy A51, which came second, as well as its 5G phone, Galaxy S20+ 5G. However, shipping issues affected Samsung’s ability to get any other models from the flagship range into the top 10, as well as increased price tags.

Samsung's Galaxy S20+ 5G has been a popular device this year (Samsung)
Samsung's Galaxy S20+ 5G has been a popular device this year (Samsung)

What is interesting to see is the impact of the Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and Huawei. Two phones from Xiaomi’s cheaper range, the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro, placed third and fourth in the top 10, the first time Xiaomi models have ranked this high, demonstrating the spread of the Chinese brand across the world.

Over in the 5G category, Huawei’s Mate 30 5G and Mate 30 Pro 5G came in under the Samsung 5G device. These phones were only shipped in its domestic market, thanks to the issues Huawei has run into with the US government regarding its use of Google’s Android software. It shows Huawei can still do well, Android license or no Android license.

For the rest of 2020, the smartphone market is expected to shrink following Covid-19, with the exception of China which has recovered and is growing rapidly. Omdia says to expect more 5G smartphones from the Chinese operators too.

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