The coronavirus pandemic did little to wrest away Apple Inc.'s AAPL pole position as the vendor of the most popular smartphone model in the first quarter, according to a report released by technology research and consultancy firm Omdia.
Apple iPhone 11 Surges Ahead
The Cupertino, California-based technology giant shipped about 19.5 million iPhone 11s in the period from January to March, according to Omdia's estimates.
The iPhone 11 model toppled the iPhone XR, the leader a year ago; Apple's competition today is with itself.
Shipments of the iPhone 11 model exceeded the XR shipments by about 6 million units.
"For more than five years — even amid shifting conditions in the wireless market and the global economy — one thing has remained consistent in the smartphone business: Apple has taken either the first or second rank in Omdia's global model shipment ranking," said Jusy Hong, director of smartphone research at Omdia.
Apple Leverages Price, Performance Appeal
The continued leadership of Apple is due to the company's strategy of offering relatively few models, allowing it to focus efforts on selling a small number of products in extremely high volumes, according to Omdia.
The iPhone 11 model was $50 cheaper than the XR phone at the time of launch. Despite the competitiveness, the model stood out due to its feature richness, boasting a dual camera setup that represented a major upgrade compared to the single-lens configuration in the iPhone.
Samsung A Distant Second
South Korea's Samsung, which accounted for much of the top 10 along with Apple, is second on Omdia's list with 6.8 million units of its Galaxy A51 model sold.
The company was the leader in the 5G-enabled smartphone segment. The company's shipments of the S20+ 5G model came in at 3.5 million units.
The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a contraction in smartphone shipments in the first quarter, Omdia said, and the firm expects a slowing in the pace of 5G expansion in many countries.
Related Links:
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Apple Analyst Projects 'Multi-Quarter Impact' On iPhone Shipments From COVID-19 Pandemic
Photo courtesy of Apple.
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