The global smartphone industry is witnessing the launch of successors much quicker than ever before. With plenty of new devices to select from every quarter, It’s quite unlikely that a smartphone could attract the eyeballs of users even after a year of launch. For Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), apparently, nothing is impossible as iPhone 7 is still ruling the chart of the most popular smartphones, by the sales figures, that too with no immediate competition from arc rivals.
According to the latest data released by Canalys, Apple iPhone 7 was the most selling smartphone in Q3 2017. The company sold 13 million units of iPhone 7 during the quarter, which ideally known for the launch of iPhone 8 series smartphones. Interestingly, it was none other than Apple’s iPhone 6S, the version launched two years ago, that posed a threat to the dominance of iPhone 7. Besides selling 13 million units of iPhone 7, Apple sold 7.9 million units of iPhone 6S to secure the second spot in the list of the most popular smartphones in Q3 2017.
Do a simple math and it’s clear that Apple has once again dominated the global smartphone market in Q3 2017. The sales of Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 6S, together, was nearly equal to the sales of 3rd, 4th and 5th top-selling smartphone devices together. In fact, the world’s top 2 most selling smartphones accounted for nearly half of the top five smartphone sales in Q3 2017Â and came from Apple’s factory.
Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime, Oppo A57 and Oppo R11 were the other three most popular smartphones in Q3 2017.
Apple sold 46.7 million units of iPhone in Q3 2017, the quarter which is largely known for the humongous sales of the latest iteration of iPhone. However, this year, Apple fell short of expectations as the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus received a lukewarm response from the market. In Q3 2017, Apple sold only 11.8 million units of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus combined, which is less than its predecessor iPhone 7.
What Made iPhone 7 The Most Popular Smartphone In Q3 2017
The discounted price and specification of Apple iPhone 7 made it the most wannabe smartphone of Q3 2017. Anticipating the huge demand for the upcoming iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, most of the online retailers started clearing their stocks by offering a great discount on iPhone 7 from the beginning of the third quarter. By the mid of the quarter, as Apple unveiled iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus for the very first time, people failed to see exciting upgrades in the new iPhones that could justify the price. The same screen size and camera failed to create differentiation in feel form factor between iPhone 8 and iPhone 7.
“The iPhone 7 also shipped strongly after its price cut in September. Apple grew in Q3, but it was these older, cheaper models that propped up total iPhone shipments. Apple is clearly making a portfolio play here,” says Ben Stanton, Analyst – Canalys.
Besides, in a bid to push the sales of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple reduced the price of iPhone 7 by almost 25%. The raining discount offers by Apple, online stores along with no-interest EMIs made iPhone 7 as one of the most aspiring smartphone available at the best price. Currently, most of the online stores have price tagged iPhone 7 with $470 onwards, which is $229 lesser than iPhone 8.
