Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max has emerged as the most shipped smartphone worldwide in the first half of 2023. Apple is estimated to have shipped 26.5 million units of the phone.
The company’s smaller iPhone 14 Pro was the second most shipped smartphone globally, followed by the regular iPhone 14.
Demand for Pro iPhones has increased
Omdia estimates Apple shipped 21 million and 16.5 million units of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 in the first six months of the year. Interestingly, with 33.7 million units shipped, the iPhone 13 was the top-selling smartphone in H1 2022.
So, Apple shipped 7.2 million fewer units of the iPhone 14 this year. But it saw a rise in demand for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. In 2022, the iPhone 13 Pro Max took the second place with 23 million units shipped. And this year, Apple shipped 26.5 million iPhone 14 Pro Max units in H1 2023.
2021’s iPhone 13 was fourth, with 15.5 million units shipped. Samsung’s budget-oriented Galaxy A14 took the fifth place with 12.4 million units shipped. The company’s flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra came in sixth with 9.6 million shipped.
Interestingly, the Galaxy S22 Ultra occupied the same slot in 2022, though the S23 Ultra’s total shipments are down by 0.2 million units.
Photo: Omdia
Apple seems unaffected by slowdown in smartphone sales
Samsung and Apple combined dominated the top 10, with five phones from both companies making it to the list.
Given the slowdown in smartphone sales and economic downturn, the $1,099+ iPhone 14 Pro Max occupying the top spot is impressive. The smartphone market is currently going through a slump, with shipments declining worldwide. Despite that, Apple’s most expensive iPhone managed was the most shipped smartphone in H1 2023. This shows how resilient the demand for iPhones is.
Omdia expects iPhone shipments for the entirety of 2023 to remain the same or decline slightly from last year. But it expects Apple to ship more Pro and Pro Max models this year, pushing its ASP higher. Rumors suggest the iPhone 15 Pro could get more expensive by $100+ this year, which could further help increase the ASP. And with declining sales of Samsung smartphones, Apple could surpass the Korean company to world’s biggest smartphone maker in 2023.
