Apple's iPhone XR Was Most Popular Smartphone in 2019 Based on Shipment Estimates

The iPhone XR was the world's most popular smartphone in 2019, with Apple outshipping all other smartphone models, according to new data shared today by research firm Omdia.

iphone xr colors splash
Apple shipped an estimated 46.3 million ‌iPhone‌ XR units in 2019, which is more than double the 23.1 million units shipped in 2018. ‌iPhone‌ XR shipments were also nine million units higher than the second most popular model, which was Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 11. Apple shipped an estimated 37.3 million ‌iPhone‌ 11 models.

omdiashipmentestimates
After the ‌iPhone‌ XR and ‌iPhone‌ 11, the Galaxy A10 was the third most popular smartphone, with Samsung shipping 30.3 million units. The Samsung A50, Samsung A20, and iPhone 11 Pro Max came in fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

"Apple has consistently owned the first and second positions in the global smartphone model shipment ranking, with the company maintaining this dominant position for more than five years running," said Jusy Hong, smartphone research and analysis director at Omdia. "The company's continued dominance on this front is all the more remarkable when considering that Apple's price hikes caused overall iPhone shipments to decline last year. By limiting the number of models it offers compared to its top competitors, Apple has been able to concentrate its sales on a few smartphones that have broad appeal, like the iPhone XR."

Apple has continued selling the ‌iPhone‌ XR alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro as a lower cost option, priced starting at $599. The ‌iPhone‌ XR is $100 cheaper than the $699 starting price point of the ‌iPhone‌ 11.

Omdia is a research firm that was established following the merger of the research division of Informa Tech and the IHS Markit technology research portfolio.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...

Top Rated Comments

NickName99 Avatar
75 months ago
I like how the XR is #1, and the iPhone 11 is #2. Both have the 6.1” display that so many nerds were complaining wasn’t 1080p or OLED.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
75 months ago
I'm not surprised by Apple's performance on this list.

Apple is the #3 smartphone OEM in the world by sales... so they obviously sell a lot of phones in general. Plus they only sell a handful of individual models... and it makes sense that their affordable iPhone XR had the top spot.

But what is a surprise is that not a single "flagship" Samsung phone is on that list.

For all the advertising Samsung does... and all the hullabaloo about cameras, OLED displays, reverse wireless charging, tiny bezels, etc... it's their budget models that sell the most.

A phone had to sell at least 15.2 million units to even be on this list.

So that means no Galaxy S10 model sold 15.2 million units throughout the entire year. That's wild.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
75 months ago
Remember the time when some bozos thought the XR wouldn’t sell?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
75 months ago
I’m just glad that this data proves we can finally move on from all the “everyone wants the old tiny screens back” chatter around this place. When the best selling phone has a 6.1” display it’s time to leave the 3.5” and 4” screens in the past.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Braderunner Avatar
75 months ago

I’m just glad that this data proves we can finally move on from all the “everyone wants the old tiny screens” chatter around this place. When the best selling phone has a 6.1” display it’s time to leave the 3.5” and 4” screens in the past.
Nobody wants an “old tiny” screen. There are people, however, who want a smaller phone.
Especially since its now possible to fit a ”new larger” screen on a phone the size of the “old pocketable“ phones. Think different. For everyone else...there’s Samesung.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
incoherent_1 Avatar
75 months ago

I’m just glad that this data proves we can finally move on from all the “everyone wants the old tiny screens back” chatter around this place. When the best selling phone has a 6.1” display it’s time to leave the 3.5” and 4” screens in the past.
I’m also glad this data proves we can finally move on from people wanting to buy a neon orange iPhone. I mean, they don’t sell a neon orange iPhone, but they don’t sell a modern smaller-screened iPhone either, so why not just make wild assumptions about that too? /s
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)