Apple iPhone 6s was the top selling smartphone brand in 2016, according to new analysis from IHS Markit.
The new Apple iPhone 7 was the best-seller in the fourth quarter, followed by iPhone 7 Plus.
Apple has demonstrated that its new iPhones integrate innovations and new features to drive sales in the market. The company is capable of selling older devices for an extended period of time. The year-old iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were among the most-shipped models in 2016.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and S7 ranked fifth and ninth, respectively. Sales of these two devices have outperformed their immediate predecessors, S6 and S6 Edge: the combined shipments of S7 and S7 Edge in 2016 were 10 million higher than S6 and S6 Edge over the same period.
The Note 7 recall has left S7 and S7 Edge, released in March 2016, the best flagships in the premium category of Samsung. Aggressive promotions, which included bundling with Gear VR, helped sales of S7 and S7 Edge.
Samsung claimed five spots out of the top 10 most-shipped smartphones in 2016. Excluding the S7 and S7 Edge, the remaining three models all belong to the mid-tier J series. The company has seen shipment unit gains in the mid to low-tier segment, relative to 2015, due to growth in emerging markets.
Huawei, the third largest smartphone maker after Apple and Samsung, did not have any models in the top 10 most-shipped smartphones in 2016.
In the premium segment, Huawei’s P9 was among its own top five most-shipped smartphone models in 2016, performing better than previous flagships.
OPPO had one smartphone in the top 10 ranking. OPPO posted 109 percent growth in smartphone shipments in 2016 to become the fourth largest smartphone maker in terms of shipment against seventh spot in 2015.
