Apple’s iPhone 11 was the world’s most-shipped smartphone in the first half of 2020, new data from Omdia, a global technology research firm, shows.
According to Omdia’s Smartphone Model Market Tracker – Q2’20 report, Apple shipped 37.7 million units of iPhone 11 in the first half of this year – by far the single most popular smartphone model.
Like iPhone XR in 2019, the cheapest of the 2019 iPhones ranked first in global shipments this year.
Despite the impact of Covid-19 in the first half of this year and the movement restrictions imposed in various countries along with it, and production disruptions, iPhone 11 shipped 10.8 million more units than last year’s No. 1, iPhone XR.
A key driver for the success of iPhone 11 is the lower starting price. iPhone 11 launched $50 cheaper than the previous iPhone XR while adding significant hardware improvements, like a dual-lens camera. iPhone XR did not feature such upgrades.
Apple dominates
The addition of iPhone SE (2020) to Apple’s portfolio in April of this year helped the company position four models in the global top 10 list. iPhone SE, a new budget iPhone, shipped 8.7 million units in the second quarter – good enough for 5th in first half shipment volume.
Growing consumer anxiety over the economic downturn due to Covid-19 and consumer demand for a small-sized iPhone are key drivers of successful market entry of iPhone SE.
iPhone 11 Pro Max and Pro, the premium models of the iPhone 11 series, ranked 7th and 10th, respectively.
Shipments of these two models decreased compared to the previous iPhone Xs Max and Xs, but their rankings improved.
According Omdia’s smartphone market tracker report, Apple shipped 13% more iPhones in the second quarter this year compare to the previous year thanks to the success of the iPhone 11 and the newly released iPhone SE.
Top 10 most shipped smartphones in the first half
On the other hand, only one Samsung model made the top 10 this year. Like last year, a mid-end smartphone, the Galaxy A51, took the second place with a total of 11.4 million units shipped. This is a significant shift for Samsung, as this list featured four Samsung’s models last year. No Samsung flagship device reached the top 10.
Xiaomi has four top 10 this year – all from the Redmi line of devices. Xiaomi replaced Samsung’s entry-level and mid-range devices with its own models in this year’s top 10.
Xiaomi doubled the number of models in the top 10 from last year’s list. Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro models took 3rd and 4th place, respectively.
The two models were priced at $132 and $162, respectively. In addition, Xiaomi’s Redmi 8A and Redmi 8, ranking 8th and 9th, were priced at $85 and $97, respectively.
The performance of lower priced smartphone models is leveling upwards and consumers’ preference for low-end models is growing due to the economic recession, this makes Xiaomi smartphones popular in emerging markets.
Lastly, total shipment leader in Q2 2020 Huawei, failed to make the top 10 list with any of its devices for the first half of this year.
Huawei’s smartphone business is under increasing pressure from US sanctions, impacting the company’s overseas business. Other OEMs not making this top ten list include OPPO and vivo.
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