Apple made seven of the ten best-selling smartphones of 2021, according to Counterpoint's latest Global Monthly Handset Model Sales Tracker. Out of the three Android smartphones that made the cut, two were from Xiaomi and one from Samsung.

The iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 11 took the top five spots on Counterpoint's list, with the top three models accounting for 41% of Apple's total sales. Samsung's Galaxy A12 took the sixth spot overall, making it the best-selling Android phone last year. Xiaomi's Redmi 9A came in seventh, while the regular Redmi 9 took the tenth spot. These Redmi 9 series devices made up 22% of Xiaomi's total sales last year. The budget-friendly iPhone SE 2020 and the flagship iPhone 13 Pro Max rounded off the list, taking the eighth and ninth spots, respectively.

Share of Global Top 10 Best-Selling Smartphones 2021 Counterpoint
(Credit: Counterpoint)

Overall, iPhones made up 14.2% of global smartphone sales in 2021, while the top three Android devices made up a total of just 5%. While this may make it seem like Android OEMs are having a hard time keeping up with Apple, that's probably not the case. Since Android OEMs offer a significantly larger number of SKUs, their sales figures are diluted across a larger portfolio. This makes it extremely difficult for Android phones to capture a spot on the best-selling smartphones list, making the feat achieved by the Galaxy A12, Redmi 9A, and Redmi 9 a little more impressive.

The report further adds that almost all regions and countries showed strong demand for the Galaxy A12 throughout the year. North America, Latin America, and Western Europe were its key markets. Xiaomi's Redmi 9A and Redmi 9, on the other hand, dominated China, India, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Based on the smartphone launches we've seen so far, which phones do you think will find a spot in the best-selling smartphones list next year? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source: Counterpoint