iPhone XR became the top-selling smartphone model globally in the third quarter of 2019, capturing 3 per cent market share, Counterpoint Research said on Tuesday.
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, said Counterpoint's "Market Pulse".
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 like India, which helped keep demand strong during the quarter," said Varun Mishra, Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research.
The iPhone 11 also made its debut in the top 10 within the launch quarter.
And it’s hardly surprising to see both the iPhone XR and even the newly launched iPhone 11 doing well. Pricing was always going to be the main concern for buyers, who still aspire to own an iPhone, especially in India, where people are still more than willing to pay as much as Rs 25K to buy the iPhone 6S or even the 7 series.
And by slashing prices of the XR, as well as keeping the iPhone 11 pricing less than 70K (with top-end features), Apple has made merry.
At the other end of the price spectrum, Samsung had three models in the top 10, all from the A series. It had discontinued its J series and brought the A series to lower price tiers.
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, said the report.
However, there were no flagships from Samsung in the top 10 list.
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