(L-R) iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X and iPhone 8 models are displayed during an Apple launch event in Cupertino, California, U.S. Sept. 12, 2017. (REUTERS/Stephen Lam)
Apple's 2016 flagship iPhone 7 was the world's most popular smartphone last quarter, according to new figures from research firm Canalys. The iPhone 8, which arrived near the end of the quarter, didn't make the list of the top five most popular smartphone models.
The iPhone 7 , which received a price cut in September, took the No. 1 spot with 13 million units shipped, followed by 2015's iPhone 6s with 7.9 million shipments.
"Apple grew in Q3, but it was these older, cheaper models that propped up total iPhone shipments," Canalys Analyst Ben Stanton said in a statement. "Apple is clearly making a portfolio play here. With the launch of the iPhone X , it now has five tiers of iPhone and delivers iOS at more price bands than ever before. This is a new strategy for Apple."
Overall, Apple shipped 46.7 million smartphones during the quarter; iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus accounted for 11.8 million of those shipments. "This falls well short of its predecessor, the iPhone 7 line, which topped 14 million in its first quarter," Canalys noted.
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Meanwhile, the figures also suggest that people are increasingly gravitating towards larger handsets these days. Case in point: the iPhone 8 Plus out-shipped the iPhone 8 last quarter: 6.3 million units to 5.4 million.
"This makes the iPhone 8 Plus the first iPhone Plus model to out-ship its smaller sibling in a single quarter," Canalys pointed out.
The rest of the top five lineup is also surprising — Samsung's Galaxy J2 Prime came in at No. 3 with 7.8 million shipped, followed by two handsets from the Chinese firm Oppo at Nos. 4 and 5—the A57 and R11, with 7.8 million and 7.2 million units shipped, respectively.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
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