Apple might be the number two smartphone vendor both across the world and in the world's single largest market, but when it comes to the best-selling models, Samsung's Galaxy handsets have nothing on the most popular iPhones out there.
That's definitely true worldwide, where Apple seized no less than eight of the individual top 10 positions last year while Samsung had to settle for two measly mentions, and it's even more true in China.
Granted, only three iPhones managed to end up on the nation's list of the ten most popular smartphones by unit sales in 2022, but Apple's arch-rival was entirely shut out in the most populous country and biggest mobile market around the globe... once again.
That's at least according to the latest Counterpoint Research report, which ranks the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and iPhone 13 Pro ahead of all of Oppo, Vivo, and Honor's China-designed and China-produced devices.
Yes, the gold, silver, and bronze medals are all going in the same (Western) direction, and what's truly remarkable about Apple's feat is that 2022 was apparently the first year ever when the company's Pro handsets made China's top 10 list.
Also impressive is the massive gap between the "standard" iPhone 13 and... everything else, starting with its ultra-high-end Pro Max and Pro cousins and continuing with the much humbler Honor X30, Oppo A56 5G, Honor Play 30 Plus, Vivo Y33s 5G, Honor 60, Vivo Y76s, and Honor Play 20.
All of those Android-powered phones from Chinese companies and brands were priced at under $500 a pop, mind you, which makes Apple's regional 2022 achievement that much more mind-blowing seeing as how the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max are each available for... a lot more than $500.
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The three fall 2021-released iOS handsets accounted for a combined 60 percent of all of Apple's iPhone sales in the country last year, which is another incredible stat that highlights Cupertino's success story from both a volume and profitability standpoint far away from home.
Of course, a previous report showed that Apple's overall sales figures dropped in China by 3 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, but with local heroes Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi looking at declines of 23, 27, and 19 percent respectively, even that was an undoubtedly solid result for the international heavyweight champion of smartphone profits and vice-champion of volumes.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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