In 2023, the number of smartphone users is estimated to have reached 6.8 billion, showing a consistent yearly increase. It's noteworthy that just seven years ago, in 2016, there were 3.2 billion fewer smartphone owners. With the rising popularity of smartphones, their prices have also been steadily climbing.

So, in this blog, we have compiled a list of the top six smartphones that have been bestsellers within the recent years to ask the question, does best-selling always mean best performing? To rank these devices, we will compare the global sales of the different units, whilst also taking into account how long they've been available for. Gradually leading up to the best-selling smartphone, we are going to determine, which best-selling phone is the best?

Roundup of our bestselling smartphones:

• Bestselling Apple Phone – iPhone 12
• Bestselling Samsung Phone- Samsung galaxy S22
• Bestselling Budget Phone – Samsung galaxy A13

 

Samsung Galaxy A13:

Starting off our list in 6th place is the Samsung Galaxy A13, one of Samsungs budget smartphones and the only budget smartphone entering our list. Released only in March 2022, this budget phone was noted as the 8th bestselling smartphone in North America last year.

Overall, the phone has good performance with its battery life, however, don’t let your phone run out completely, as it hasn’t got the quickest and most reliable charging speed.

Pros:

• All Day battery life
• Ultra-wide lens
• Excellent screen brightness

Cons:

• Slow charging speed
• No night mode option

 

iPhone XR:

Coming in at 5th place on our list is the iPhone XR. It has been released for just under 5 years now, September 2018, and has managed to sell around 77 million units. At one point, it was the 8th bestselling phone in the world and even, during its first initial release, the iPhone XR was the bestselling phone of its year.

Its wireless charging means you can say goodbye to endless cables however this device has a capped storage of up to 256 GB, which some say is a massive disadvantage.

Pros:

• Wireless charging
• Excellent performance
• Six colour options

Cons:

• No dual lens
• Storage only up to 256 GB
• No mobile HDR

 

Samsung galaxy S22:

The Samsung Galaxy S22 takes 4th place on our list as the best-selling Samsung smartphone. After being announced and then further released in February 2022, this device became the 6th best selling smartphone in North America in 2022 and since its release, over 30 million units have been sold.

Its video quality and abilities have been noted as the smartphones best features, however, don’t take too many videos, because unfortunately the storage options on this device is quite limited.

Pros:

• Clear colourful display
• Good video ability
• Good longevity

Cons:

• Limited storage options
• Poor battery life
• Overheating

 

iPhone 8 Plus:

Our 3rd place device, having been released in September 2017 is the iPhone 8 Plus that has sold over 86 million units. In 2018, the iPhone 8 Plus made up for 24% of Apple phone sales, 11% more than its partner smartphone, the iPhone 8.

Although this device is considered a much older smartphone, the iPhone 8 still runs on the newer Apple updates however, this doesn’t mean the devices speed is as up to date, as some negative comments often mention that the phone is slow running.

Pros:

• Runs on the latest iPhone updates considering its an older phone.
• Affordable
• Expected to get ios 17 updates.

Cons:

• Slow running
• No high resolution

 

iPhone 6:

The iPhone 6 takes 2nd place on our list having over 222 million units sold since its release around 9 years ago in September 2014. It is still considered to be one of the best-selling smartphones, with its high-quality display and pocketable size. However, although this phone is one of the better on the list, a disadvantage of this phone is its poor battery life.

Pros:

• High quality camera
• High quality screen in a pocketable size
• Cheaper than most smartphones

Cons:

• Shorter battery life
• Smaller screen display

 

iPhone 12:

The iPhone 12 takes the number 1 spot for the best-selling iPhone and bestselling phone generally in our list. Although the device has sold less units than the iPhone 6 coming in at 100 million units sold, the device only came out 3 years ago which makes up for it. Its excellent camera quality is a major advantage for this device however, a disadvantage is its display being only 60 Hz.

Pros:

• Excellent camera
• Long battery life
• Fast charging

Cons:

• Only 64 GB base storage
• 60 HZ display.