Apple iPhone 8 was the best-selling smartphone in the world in the month of May 2018, according to Counterpoint Research, followed by the Galaxy S9+ and iPhone X. The iPhone 8, though, recorded marginally higher sales, which Counterpoint attributes to the phone’s promotion campaign during the ongoing FIFA World Cup. On the other hand, the Galaxy S9+, which Counterpoint ranked as the best-selling smartphone in its April report, fell due to declining month-on-month sales in Europe.
Among the top 10 global smartphones in terms of sales, each of the top six phones earned at least a two per cent market share. Of these, the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy S9+ recorded 2.4 per cent market share each. Among the other phones with over two per cent share in the global smartphone market, Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus is ranked fifth, while Samsung’s Galaxy S9 holds the sixth place. Xiaomi’s Redmi 5A is ranked fourth, with a market share of 2.2 per cent. Apple’s iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X were launched in September last year, while the Galaxy S9 series debuted late in February.
Xiaomi’s growth in the segment, according to the report, comes from the success of its Redmi 5A and Redmi Note 5 series. Known as the Redmi 5 Plus in some markets, the Redmi Note 5 was also ranked among the top 10 selling smartphones of May, placed at ninth with a 1.3 per cent market share. This, in part, could also have arisen from the growth of Xiaomi’s offline channels. The Chinese smartphone maker registered an offline sale share of 35 per cent in May, up from 30 per cent in April. Through online channels, Xiaomi remains the top smartphone brand in India.
Other significant finds are the growth of the Huawei P20 Lite and the Vivo X21. While Huawei’s P20 series recorded a 2.6 per market cent of smartphone sales in May, the P20 Lite showed a 1.4 per cent market share, ranking seventh for the month. Also, the Vivo X21, launched in April, broke into the top 10, coming in at eighth. Its in-display fingerprint sensor has been a major selling point. Oppo’s A83 rounded off the top 10 smartphones for May, registering a 1.3 per cent global market share.
