Apple’s iPhone XR has become the world’s best-selling smartphone during the first half of the calendar year 2019, according to research by IHS Market. Apple has shipped 26.9 million units of iPhone XR during H1 2019, more than double that of Samsung’s Galaxy A10, which is second on the list. The report includes a list of the top-selling 10 smartphones across the world in the first half of 2019. Apple’s iPhone XR was followed by Samsung Galaxy A10 (13.4 million units), Samsung Galaxy A50 (12 million units), Apple iPhone 8 (10.3 million units), Xiaomi Redmi 6A (10 million units), Redmi Note 7 (10 million units), Galaxy J2 Core (9.9 million units), Oppo A5 (9.7 million units), Apple iPhone XS Max (9.6 million units) and Galaxy A30 (9.2 million units).
Apple had launched the iPhone XR in 2018 as an affordable variant in its iPhone line-up, though it was still priced as a premium category phone in India. At the time of launch, the pricing of the iPhone XR started at Rs 76,900 for the base 64GB storage model and went on to Rs 91,900 for the 256 GB variant. However, a few months down the line, Apple dropped the price as a part of a promotional offer, thereby boosting sales. Subsequently, consumers could buy iPhone XR at a starting price of Rs 53,900 for the 64GB RAM model of the iPhone. The price of the 128GB storage model of the iPhone XR was dropped to Rs 64,900 from Rs 81,900 earlier, while the 256GB variant was selling for Rs 74,900.
Commenting on Apple’s sales performance, IHS Market’s research and analysis director Jusy Hong said: “Compared to the Android-based smartphone makers, Apple maintains a relatively small model lineup… this means that Apple’s total sales volume is divided among fewer models. As a result, each of Apple’s iPhone models tends to generate higher shipment numbers than comparable Android smartphones, such as those sold by Samsung.”
